Ever have trouble figuring out the important parts of an article or web page? Sophomore Hugh Jones’ app called “Points” can summarize text into bullet points in seconds.

“Points started off as a simple Java app, but I quickly decided to expand it into an iPhone app because I realized it could be the perfect tool for learning on the go,” Jones said.

He came up with the idea last fall when doing lengthy reading assignments for history class. Noting that most of the articles were sourced from web pages, he used his experience of creating other computer programs to begin research on natural language processing.

He began developing an app that uses a natural language processing algorithm that he wrote himself.

“I enjoyed developing Points and found it to be a really good experience,” Jones said. “I worked on Points in my free time after crew and after I’d finish homework, and I released it when I felt it was ready to share.”

Jones has been developing apps and websites and writing software for years now and wishes to continue doing so in the future.

“My main motivation to develop apps is that I really enjoy it, and they have a potential to make a real difference in people’s lives,” Jones said.

Points allows users to copy and paste a web page URL for a summary, and in the iOS app, users can search for interesting news articles to summarize from within the app.

Points is available for download on the Apple app store and was recently featured on AppAdvice.