| Why Tech Needs to Prioritize Older Adults
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| Erin Young
| My pathway into designing for older adults wasn’t strategic—it was personal.
My career has long been focused on designing easy-to-use digital experiences for a range of audiences, and I’d worked with several brands serving the seniors space. But when my dad was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s, I started seeing technology through a different lens.
As my parents struggled through the challenges of brain change, aging, and care, I saw how technology that should have helped them often got in the way.
This experience shifted my perspective, crystallizing my focus on creating technology that truly serves the aging population, respecting their needs and enhancing their lives.
The Connected Elder: Busting the Myth of “Tech-Averse Seniors”
Contrary to outdated stereotypes, older Americans are not tech-averse; they are active and engaged users. In a conversation with Steve Gurney of Positive Aging Community, Lauren Dunning of the Milken Institute cited data showing that 90% percent of older adults have smartphones and that the average older adult has seven smart tech devices at home. This isn’t just about making calls; it’s about managing health, connecting with loved ones, and accessing essential services.
So the problem is not that older folks are unwilling to use tech. The problem is that too often, tech isn’t designed with them in mind.
User Experience as a Sign of Respect
The core issue isn’t whether older adults can use technology, but how well the technology works for them. Many web and mobile interfaces, from grocery delivery apps to health trackers, are overly complicated. Small buttons, unfamiliar layouts, and convoluted processes can be disorienting and frustrating.
It’s about dignity. When an app is difficult to navigate, it implicitly sends a message: “you’re not smart enough for this.”
Older people don’t have the patience with technology that young folks do. If a product is overwhelming, most older people will choose to stick with what’s familiar, tried, and true.
User experience (UX) is where respect is demonstrated. If older people are among the target users for a digital experience, a product design team will take the time to understand how well the experience works for older people.
“Never underestimate your user,” warns designer Joshua Reach in his article, “What Designing for Seniors Has Taught Me.”
AI Should Feel Like Magic—Not a Minefield
As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more integrated into our digital tools, its impact on user experience for older adults cannot be overstated. There’s real promise in AI to make interfaces more responsive to individual needs. Picture this: an app that automatically adjusts its layout for someone with low vision. A system that learns behavior patterns and offers helpful nudges—without requiring setup or explanation.
However, the integration of AI must be handled with extreme care to avoid adding new layers of friction or creating new problems. Opaque algorithms, overly complex AI-driven features, or misleading information can quickly undermine the goal of dignity and ease of use.
The true power of AI for this demographic lies in its ability to fade into the background. Older adults shouldn’t need to understand AI or how it works in order to benefit from it. Instead, AI should be integrated into experiences in a way that works for the user—quietly, intuitively, respectfully.
Big Tech Plays Catch-Up While Startups Lead the Way
There’s a growing awareness that this demographic represents a significant market.
Companies like Greenlight and Uber are beginning to respond. Greenlight’s Debit & Prepaid Cards for Seniors offer adaptable spending controls and real-time notifications, a feature that can be invaluable for caregivers. Senior accounts for Uber Rides feature larger text, simplified navigation, fewer ride options to reduce decision fatigue, and saved places for frequently visited destinations. These are steps in the right direction, recognizing the need for dignity and ease of use.
However, the real innovation often springs from smaller, more nimble organizations and startups that are inherently closer to the needs of the aging community and their caregivers. Some examples:
- ElliQ is an AI assistant for older adults, focusing on reducing loneliness, encouraging engagement. It’s founding company, Intuition Robotics, has raised ~US$83M to date.
- Meet5, a social app aimed at helping older people form new friendships via in-person group events, reported around 2 million members as of May 2025.
- JubileeTV, which is used by tens of thousands of families, is a TV set-top box + service for seniors (especially those with dementia) that simplifies navigation, adds caregiver-friendly features like call captions, distant check-ins, etc.
While larger companies are starting to integrate accessibility features, more tailored solutions often come from smaller entities deeply immersed in the specific needs of older adults and their caregivers. These startups are often more agile in adapting their designs to truly empower, rather than merely accommodate, the aging population.
Why It Matters
Designing for older adults isn’t a niche initiative—it’s an urgent and growing need. It’s about creating experiences that work for everyone, especially those whose needs are too often overlooked.
From a business standpoint, it’s smart. From a human standpoint, it’s essential.
We have the tools, the research, and the stories. What we need is the intention—to lead with empathy, to design with dignity, and to recognize that accessibility isn’t just a box to check. It’s a sign of respect.
Erin Young is founder and partner at Slide UX, a user experience design firm headquartered in Austin, Texas that is focused on brain changing, AgeTech, and senior care.
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