Not too long ago, a friend’s 73 year old mum asked me to help her understand why she could see her son’s photos online but she couldn’t see her own. As it turns out, when her son had set up the phone for her, he’d used his own account to get everything working quickly. For months she hadn’t realised that she was logged into his account and not her own. Once I showed her how to log out of her son’s account and log into her own, after many moments of searching for her account details, she turned to me and asked, “Why do they make these things so impossible for us?” 

By “us”, she was referring to people like her who are older, smart and capable but yet often flummoxed by the latest tech that is shipped out. She’s not alone. 

Two in five older people feel that technology was not designed for them. Research has also found that when asked, the elderly say that only very few service providers take particular care of their specific needs. I’m not alone either because chances are if you’re part of a generation who was born and raised in a technology-focused society and workplace, the situations I’ve described above are likely to sound and feel familiar to you. 

Why is this? Why do older people feel ignored and unequipped in modern societies which are underpinned by a growing number of digital nuts and bolts?

The answer is both troubling and simple; they’re simply not prioritised. 

The term ‘the elderly’ is associated with stereotypes which are often very dated and belong to the past. Often people imagine someone frail and vulnerable, inactive and retired and not open to learning new things. This couldn’t be further from the truth. For instance, did you know that in Germany, 77% of people aged 50 - 64 are in employment? And in France, nearly 1 in 3 workers is 50 years and older. And if we hop over to Spain we find that over 6 out of 10 euros is spent by households led by those aged 50 years and older. 

While we have data that proves that many seniors are still working and active, it is also true however that as we age our minds and bodies change. This means that while many seniors are still very capable, they are also more likely to require additional assistance for a disability or age-related accessibility need. It also means that acquiring new skills may require more time, or that we need assistance remembering previous things we’ve done or learnt. Additionally we may not have been exposed as much to things that can go wrong or perhaps we’re too trusting and therefore we are more likely to be victims of scams. 

But most organisations don’t design for this kind of nuance. Rather you’re seen as disabled or you’re not. Or you’re seen as young or old, digitally-abled or digitally-defunct.

In most organisations, the customer (or to use a very tech-centric term, ‘the user’) is often imagined to be younger and therefore, assumed to be, able and tech-savvy. A 2024 research report titled The State of Web Accessibility in 2024 found that 88% of websites are still not fully compliant with the latest web accessibility standards. In other words, most websites are designed for someone who can interact with all digital features without support as well as solve any encountered challenges on their own. 

So what happens if you’re an active and capable older adult who just needs a bit of help? Or if you’re experiencing normal and expected levels of cognitive decline due to the natural aging process and need a little extra help? Or if you’re living with a condition like dementia and require full-time care? What happens in all three cases is usually the same thing. Someone has to hand over all their digital information to someone else which results in feeling a loss of control and privacy. 

This is not good enough and this is the reason we have created Simeon. 

Simeon was built for people who want to stay independent in a digital world that doesn’t always make it easy to do so. It’s a digital companion that helps older adults manage the online essentials — like logging into services, keeping track of accounts, and staying connected — without relying on others every step of the way. And when help is needed, Simeon makes it easy to involve a trusted family member or carer, while still keeping control and privacy where it belongs: with the user.

Simeon was created to make everyday digital experiences feel simple, manageable, and safe — for everyone. It should be simple, inclusive, and adaptable to the needs of all individuals, especially those who need it most. That’s why Simeon has been designed with accessibility and usability front of mind. This isn’t just another digital tool. It's a service designed to restore and empower people with the confidence and trust they need to manage their digital presence with ease. 

We’re building a future where navigating the digital world isn’t a burden, but an opportunity for everyone to thrive.