Imagine an ordinary Monday. You wake up and, while having your first coffee of the morning, you check your phone: the weather, your messages, the day’s appointments. Now imagine the same moment, but with one detail that changes everything: you don’t remember how to use your phone because you don’t understand what that gadget they bought you is for. You also don’t know where the notebook is where your grandchild wrote down how to check messages, and you’re afraid to touch anything because every time you tap one of the icons on the screen, everything starts flashing… What feels intuitive and relaxing to you becomes minutes of anxiety for someone else.

You arrive at the office, turn on your computer, and go to a public website to complete a simple task: book an appointment, download a document, check a benefit. You’re in a hurry. The cursor blinks. You even click several times because you want it to go faster. You access the page and manage to do what you needed; everything seems obvious. Now imagine the same situation, but with one detail that changes everything: the sentences are long, the buttons are unclear, the language is technical, the screens are full of noise. What is routine for you becomes a wall for someone else.

That wall is called the digital divide, and even though it sounds abstract, it measures very concrete things: time, opportunities, stress, anxiety. For many older people or people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, digitalization has not always been an open door; sometimes it has been a narrow corridor, with small signs and lights flashing too fast. And this is where something all of us can help push forward comes into play: digital friendliness.

FROM “FASTER” TO “MORE HUMAN”

Digital transformation has often been sold to us as a race: more services, more automation, more data. But good transformation is the kind that slows down waiting for people. The kind that adjusts its pace, simplifies language, and offers support when it’s needed.

The Government of Biscay launched Digital Friendliness (Amigabilidad Digital), an initiative that focuses precisely on this: reducing gaps and designing technology that cares. Although the project has worked with specific groups—older adults and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities—its message is universal: if you make it accessible for those who need the most support, it'll be better for everyone.

And the way to do this is not from a desk full of dashboards, but by listening. Working sessions with people from different groups, adapted dynamics, easy-to-read materials, longer timeframes, explanations without metaphors, and conscious facilitation. Research carried out with associations and a holistic approach that blends technology, guidance, pedagogy, and organizational culture.

The result? A roadmap with concrete actions.

TWO STORIES, ONE SHARED PURPOSE

Carmen, 73, and her first “send” without fear.

Carmen wants to check her medical appointments on her phone. At a Digital Friendliness workshop in her town, she learns the basics of using a smartphone, sets up WhatsApp, creates an email account, and discovers how to browse safely. Two-hour sessions, simple explanations, guided practice, and examples of useful apps for everyday life. At the end, Carmen opens her email, confirms an appointment, and for the first time presses “send” with confidence. It’s not magic: it’s workshops designed so that any older person can make the digital leap calmly and with support.

Iker, 36, and a process that finally makes sense.

Iker works at a social organization and supports people with everyday administrative tasks. Before, every online procedure was an obstacle course: dense texts, cryptic button names, processes that changed without warning. One day, when he enters the website, a new icon appears: “Listen to this content.” Click. A clear voice reads the text, breaks it down, makes it digestible. Next to it, a link: “Step-by-step guide (Easy Read).” Three screens, each with one instruction and one action. No jargon. With pictograms. With examples. At the end, a Virtual Agent guides them with short questions and concrete answers; no unnecessary complexity.

That same day, the person he supports completes the process on their own for the first time. Ten minutes. Zero stress. And a detail that may seem small, but isn’t: a confident smile.

WHY THIS MATTERS TO YOU (EVEN IF YOU DON’T WORK IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR)

Because you are part of the ecosystem. It doesn’t matter if you work in product, marketing, data, UX, customer support, legal, finance, or technology: digital inclusion needs every piece.

Think about your daily work:

• How do I label my buttons and links?
• How much information do I show in one screen (and how much do I remove)?
• Do I clearly indicate the status of each step (start, progress, confirmation)?
• Do I offer multimodal alternatives (read, listen, see)?
• Do I use Plain Language and Easy Read versions when appropriate?
• Am I training my support teams to recognize signs of difficulty and respond with patience and simplicity?

Inclusion is not a box to check at the end of a sprint. It’s a quality criterion from minute one.

SIX PRACTICAL PRINCIPLES OF DIGITAL FRIENDLINESS (TO APPLY TOMORROW)

• One screen, one goal.

  Avoid doing everything at once. Break long processes into steps with small confirmations. If each screen answers one question, the mind can relax.

• Words that think about people.

  Replace jargon with Plain Language. “I want to apply for aid” is better than “Submit application.” “Requirements to access” is better than “Eligibility conditions.”

• Focus mode.

  Reduce visual noise: fewer banners, fewer pop-ups, fewer purposeless colors. Hierarchy comes from size and contrast, not saturation.

• Multichannel and multimodal.

  Text, audio, pictograms, and short video. Choose the format that best supports understanding; not everyone reads, not everyone listens.

• Security that makes sense.

  If you ask for data, explain why and what for in one sentence. Trust is not declared: it’s explained.

• Measure with eyes and with people.

  Analytics are not enough: test with diverse users. What “works” for conversion rates may fail in cognitive accessibility.

LESSONS FROM THE PROJECT (TO TAKE BACK TO YOUR TEAM)

• Co-design changes design. When you prototype with the people who will use your service, assumptions disappear and real answers emerge.
• Cognitive accessibility is productivity. Easy Read and audio guides don’t just help some people: they reduce errors, shorten task times, and lower support requests.
• Useful AI is humble AI. A conversational agent that simplifies and guides is more valuable than a “smart” bot that speaks in complex terms. Design AI to accompany, not to impress.
• Training people multiplies impact. A well-prepared human channel is part of the digital product. Trained empathy is social technology.

SOCIAL INNOVATION THAT SPREADS

Digital Friendliness isn’t a slogan, it’s a way of understanding the power of technology as an act of care. When a public institution creates clear guides, adds audio readers, trains its staff, and launches challenges to adapt web content, it’s sending an important message: digitalization will be inclusive, or it won’t be.

Now the challenge is ours. Don’t wait for “someone else” to check that box. Do it yourself. Change one word, one button, one screen. Propose a test with real users. Ask for a cognitive accessibility sprint. Add a “Listen to this content” link. Create a simple guide. Train your team.

Every time you do, the wall comes down a little. And one day—not far from now—the door will stop being narrow, and it’ll become a wide path. Because technology that cares about people isn’t slower: it’s wiser. And that wisdom begins with one concrete professional decision, today.