PastreeClipboard Manager
A browser extension that transforms the clipboard into a powerful Copy & Paste tool with automatic capture, keyboard shortcuts, and contextual organization for repetitive workflows.
About the Project
If you're constantly on your computer online juggling multiple applications, documents, and communication channels, you might have come across the need to have at least one more paste shortcut. Copy-paste operations consume valuable time, and frequently used text snippets are lost in the traditional single-item clipboard. Pastree emerged from observing these friction points in daily workflows across online forms, SaaS tools, and content creation tasks.
The Problem
The user research identified three critical productivity blockers affecting power users.
Pain Point
Lost Context: The standard clipboard holds only one item. Users frequently copy something new before pasting the previous item, losing valuable information
Pain Point
Repetitive Tasks: Professionals repeatedly type or copy-paste the same text snippets dozens of times per day—email signatures, code snippets, form responses
Pain Point
Context Switching: Switching between applications to find and copy frequently used text breaks focus and disrupts workflow momentum
Pain Point
93% of users reported losing important clipboard content at least once daily
Pain Point
Average user copies the same 8-12 text snippets repeatedly throughout their workday
Pain Point
67% maintain separate documents or note files with frequently used text
Design Process
I mapped out user flows based on research findings and prioritized features that would solve real workflow problems without adding cognitive overhead.
User Research & Insights
Conducted interviews with 15 professionals across different domains to understand clipboard usage patterns and pain points.
Information Architecture
Designed three primary user flows: passive capture, quick access via keyboard shortcuts, and contextual organization through custom lists.
Interface Design
Created a minimal, keyboard-centric interface with dark mode first approach and contextual actions to reduce cognitive load.
Technical Implementation
Built modular architecture with service worker, content scripts, and popup UI using TypeScript and modern browser APIs.
My Role
As both Product Designer and Front-End Engineer, I led the entire product development cycle from user research to technical implementation.
- Conducted user research interviews with 15 professionals across different domains
- Designed information architecture and user flows for clipboard management
- Created visual design system with dark mode first approach
- Implemented browser extension using TypeScript and Chrome APIs
- Built cross-browser compatibility for Chrome and Firefox
- Conducted weekly usability testing sessions throughout development
- Optimized performance for large clipboard histories with virtual scrolling
Methodologies
User Research Insights
Through interviews with designers, developers, writers, and customer service representatives, I discovered critical patterns in clipboard usage that informed the product design.
losing important clipboard content at least once daily
maintain separate documents or note files with frequently used text
user copies the same text snippets repeatedly throughout their workday
Users wanted keyboard-first access without interrupting their workflow
Context switching between applications was a major productivity blocker
Users needed better organization for different types of content (i.e., job applications vs email templates)
Key Features & Solutions
I delivered five core features that transform the clipboard from a single-item storage into a powerful productivity tool with automatic capture, keyboard shortcuts, and contextual organization.
Automatic Clipboard Capture
Pastree monitors all copy operations in the background and automatically saves up to 100 clipboard items with timestamps. Works transparently—users copy as normal, but can now access their complete clipboard history anytime through the extension popup or keyboard shortcuts.
Copy any text snippet into Pastree by using Cmd + C or any menu option.
Pastree's Clipboard history view displays all captured clipboard items with timestamps.
Keyboard-First Paste System
Dedicated keyboard shortcuts paste the three most recent clipboard items: Option+P (most recent), Option+O (second), Option+I (third). Users can paste recently copied content without touching the mouse—keyboard shortcuts are displayed in the popup for discoverability.
Pastree extends your clipboard automatically with two extra shortcuts to paste from your keyboard. Pastree also allows you to add text and assign it to a shortcut of choice.
Add extra paste shortcuts to your keyboard by using option + P, option + O, option + I.
Custom Lists for Context Organization
Users can create custom lists (e.g., 'Job Applications', 'Email Openings') and organize related snippets together. Items can be added to lists via drag-and-drop or action buttons; lists are accessible from the dedicated Lists tab and context menu.
Create lists from clipboard items through the action buttons or while adding new text using the Add button.
The Lists view displays all your lists and allows you to add, edit, delete and organize your lists.
Search & Starring System
Full-text search filters clipboard history in real-time; starred items persist permanently and appear in a dedicated section. Search bar is prominently placed; typing immediately filters results; star icon toggles favorite status with visual feedback.
Find any item in your clipboard history by typing in the search bar. Filter results quickly and identify words with highlighting.
Star items to easily access them anytime using the Star filter view.
Right-Click Context Menu Integration
Context menu shows recent clipboard items and custom lists as nested submenus when right-clicking any text field. Natural right-click workflow; menu dynamically updates with current clipboard state; one-click paste for any item.
Right-click on any text field to access the Pastree context menu to paste clipboard content.
Find all items in Pastree with the context menu allowing you to browse through your clipboard history, lists, starred items and more.
Key Learnings
Insights and knowledge gained from this project that shaped my approach to future work.
User Research Foundation
Starting with interviews and workflow observations ensured features solved real problems rather than assumed needs. Weekly user testing sessions prevented building in the wrong direction.
Modular Development
Modular code structure made cross-browser compatibility manageable; TypeScript caught potential bugs during development. Supporting both Manifest V2 and V3 created complexity but ensured broader reach.
Progressive Enhancement
Core functionality (clipboard history) works immediately; advanced features (lists, search, shortcuts) are discoverable over time. This reduced initial complexity while maintaining powerful functionality.
Optimization Strategies
Implemented virtual scrolling and optimized storage queries; tested with 1000+ items to verify performance. Performance degradation with large clipboard histories was solved through careful optimization.
Project Overview
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