Hero – Questions and Answers

Installation

I can not figure out how to install Hero!

Hero is built as an extension for your Chrome browser. You may not have tried it (and there are many who have not). Let us try to guide you through the process.

You install a Chrome extension from the Chrome Webstore, much like you know it from your phone’s app store. Just click the button at the top of our page to access the Chrome Webstore.

In the Chrome Webstore, click “Add to Chrome”. Remember to use Chrome.

Now you need to confirm that Hero will have access to the websites you visit (see next question below).

Hero is now installed, but you need to create a user profile. You do this on the page that opens automatically after Hero is installed.

When you open a new website, you should now be able to see the Hero logo at the bottom right. Try clicking on it!

You should now be well underway. If you experience problems you may find the answer below, otherwise feel free to write to us!

When I add Hero to the Chrome Webstore, I get a warning that Hero can read and modify the web pages I visit. What does that mean?

Hero is built as a browser extension. It basically has access to every web page you open in the browser. It can also change these web pages, which is the whole idea of Hero’s reading tool.

The Chrome browser wants to make sure you understand the risk that an extension could in theory share all the information you read and type on a website with others. In the case of Hero, you can of course trust that we never share any information at all with others, and that we also only process the websites that you ask us for by clicking on the Hero logo. You can read more in our Privacy Policy

I use a browser other than Chrome (eg Safari, Edge, Firefox). Can I use Hero in my favorite browser?

The Hero browser extension is only available on Chrome.

However, we’re working on a webapp that can simplify your own documents. You will be able to do so on any browser.

Can I use Hero on my mobile or iPad?

At this time, Hero only works on your computer because Chrome extensions are not currently available on other devices. However, we do dream of a mobile app, and it is definitely something we are considering prioritizing.

Functionality

Does Hero work in other languages?

Hero works in Danish and English. In Danish, Hero can replace difficult words with easier synonyms, but it can make whole sentences easier in English.

We have concrete plans to extend sentence simplification to Danish and a number of other languages.

Does Hero work for PDF?

In the current demo version, we unfortunately do not have the option to use Hero for PDF due to technical limitations. We know, however, that many would really like Hero’s function for PDF, and therefore it is something we work at intensely.

Hero does not work on certain pages.

As a starting point, at the time of writing, Hero only works on Danish text. But as for the current demo version, there are also a number of Danish sites where Hero does not really work.

A challenge lies, for example, in websites, which mainly consist of links, e.g. The dr.dk homepage, where every single news item is a link to an article. Hero requires you to click on words, and because you also click on a link to open it, Hero cannot simplify text that forms a link.

Hero is also challenged if the structure of the website is very complex. You can e.g. in your email program or on Facebook experience that Hero does not work as it should. We are working hard to fix this for the next version.

Some of Hero’s replacements disrupt the meaning!

You may have experienced that some replacements do not really fit into the context and that the meaning is disrupted. Unfortunately, it is a big challenge for a machine to distinguish between “good” and “bad” replacements, and we do our best to keep the problem as small as possible.

As the research world develops ever smarter AI models, our function will also improve. We’re on top of the state of research, and work hard on integrating new research progress into Hero.

What does it mean that Hero is personalized?

Hero is aware that people are different – also when it comes to reading challenges. There are a lot of studies that show how different the need for easier text is in different people. Some have difficulty with certain combinations of sound and letters, others generally do not like long words and sentences. Therefore, Hero adapts the text to the needs of the individual user.

When you ask Hero to simplify a sentence, Hero understands that you have difficulty with the original sentence. Hero remembers this information and calculates a new model on what kind of sentences you find particularly challenging. This knowledge is then used to generate the right level of simplified text next time you use Hero