Why?

We've always approached product design this way. We look at our current tools and ask ourselves why it's done the way it is. Why do bookmarking tools have social features? Why do we use folders? Dropdowns? Are these outdated UI patterns still useful or are they just clutter? What if we do it better? Or just different?

With Cortex we ultimately asked ourselves, why not? Why not find a different way to save what we care about? Why not remove all the other stuff that just gets in the way? Forget how it's usually done. Why not make it better?

There was a time when our tools were just tools. We picked up a hammer to build something, then put it back on the shelf when we were finished. It was a tool made for one simple purpose. It had no ulterior motives.

Fast forward to today, and our tools have evolved. They've become smarter. They have algorithms, feeds, notifications. They are designed to make us spend as much time with them as possible. We must feed them, manage them, clean them, engage with them. Our tools no longer serve our purpose. We serve theirs.

Could we not use the magic of technology to build something better? Something that truly benefits us, rather than taking from us. Something designed in a way that fosters a special relationship with our tools once again. Something that serves a simple, necessary purpose.

We decided we could.

There's a reason we don't have an import feature. We like the idea of starting from scratch. Not only because humanity revolves around fresh starts, but this also requires you to reevaluate your relationship with data. It inspires you to be more conscious, more meticulous, more mindful of the things you save and collect.

Digital clutter and information fatigue affect our real minds, whether we're aware of it or not. We want your new mind to be a break from that. It's a clean slate where you can deliberately choose what to save and consume. A mental sigh of relief.

We built Cortex for doers and makers. For people who are busy doing other things and simply need a place to collect and remember what they care about.

Cortex doesn't interfere, doesn't bother and doesn't ask to be maintained. It's meant to serve you, as an extension of your mind. So you can think about anything and everything except the tool itself.

Because that's all it is: A tool meant to help you achieve something else. Those who like to procrastinate with folders and unmaintainable systems will find plenty of other apps to keep them busy. Cortex is for those who would rather draw and write and build and dance and sing.