Digital Confidence
Helping people feel more confident in a digital world.
Technology is changing quickly.
Banking, healthcare, travel, shopping, communication and even everyday services increasingly expect us to use websites, apps and digital tools.
For some people, that feels exciting.
For others, it can feel confusing, frustrating or simply as though the world is moving faster than they would like.
Digital Confidence is about making that world feel a little easier to navigate.
No jargon.
No judgement.
No assumptions.
Just friendly, practical help, at your pace.
Technology should make life easier. Not leave people behind.
You shouldn’t need to be a technology expert to take part in modern life.
Yet more and more everyday activities now involve smartphones, apps, online accounts, passwords, QR codes and digital services.
And with artificial intelligence becoming increasingly visible, there is another new set of questions to navigate.
What is AI?
Is it safe?
Can I trust it?
Why would I use it?
And perhaps most importantly:
What happens if I don’t understand any of it?
At Ampersand, we believe technology should work for people, not the other way around.
That is why Digital Confidence starts with the person, not the technology.
No question is a silly question.
Sometimes the hardest part of technology is simply feeling comfortable enough to ask.
Perhaps somebody has told you to download an app and you’re not quite sure what an app actually is.
Maybe your GP surgery wants you to use an online service.
Perhaps you've received a strange text message and aren't sure whether it is genuine.
Or you keep hearing people talk about ChatGPT and artificial intelligence and would simply like somebody to explain what all the fuss is about.
Those are exactly the conversations we want to have.
You might want help understanding:
-
Smartphones and tablets
-
Apps and online accounts
-
WhatsApp and video calling
-
Online banking and everyday digital services
-
The NHS App and online healthcare services
-
QR codes
-
Passwords and online security
-
Suspicious emails and text messages
-
Online scams
-
Artificial intelligence
-
ChatGPT and other AI tools
-
What information is safe to share online
-
How to recognise when something might not be genuine
And if your question isn't on the list?
Ask it anyway.
AI without the fear.
Artificial intelligence can sound complicated.
It doesn't have to be.
We explain AI in ordinary language: what it is, what it can do, where it can be useful and where it is sensible to be cautious.
There are no technical lessons and no expectation that you should already understand it.
Instead, we explore simple, everyday examples.
You might ask AI to:
Help plan a day out.
“I'm going to Bath next week. What could I see while I'm there?”
Suggest something for dinner.
“I've got chicken, potatoes and some vegetables. What could I make?”
Help with a piece of writing.
“Can you help me write a friendly message to my grandson?”
Explain something unfamiliar.
“Can you explain this phrase in plain English?”
Explore an interest.
“Help me remember the name of a film I saw years ago.”
Sometimes the easiest way to understand AI is simply to use it together.
We will also talk about its limitations, because knowing when not to trust technology is every bit as important as knowing how to use it.
Friendly sessions. Real questions. Your own pace.
Digital Confidence isn't designed to feel like going back to school.
There are no tests.
No complicated presentations.
And nobody is expected to keep up with anybody else.
Sessions can be informal conversations, small group workshops or practical demonstrations.
Where appropriate, people can bring their own smartphone or tablet and explore things using the device they already know.
A session might include:
AI, Apps & the Digital World
A relaxed introduction to some of the technology appearing in everyday life.
Staying Safer Online
Understanding scams, suspicious messages, passwords and some of the warning signs worth looking out for.
What Exactly Is AI?
A plain-English conversation about artificial intelligence, ChatGPT and what these tools actually do.
Getting More From Your Smartphone
Exploring useful features, apps and everyday tasks people may not realise their phone can help with.
Bring Your Questions
No agenda required. Bring the things that confuse, frustrate or interest you and we will explore them together.
Trying AI Together
A friendly practical session where people can experience AI for themselves and discover where it might genuinely be useful.
Sessions can also be shaped around the interests and needs of a particular group.
For older people
Digital Confidence was created particularly with older people in mind.
Not because getting older means being unable to understand technology.
It doesn't.
But many people have lived through extraordinary technological change and are now being asked to interact with digital services that simply didn't exist for much of their lives.
We want to create somewhere people can ask questions without feeling rushed, embarrassed or judged.
You don't have to become an expert.
You don't have to use every new piece of technology.
You simply deserve the opportunity to understand enough to make your own choices confidently.
For families
Technology can sometimes create an unexpected role reversal.
Children and grandchildren become the people explaining phones, passwords, apps and online services to parents and grandparents.
Usually everyone means well.
Sometimes it still ends in frustration.
Digital Confidence can provide a patient, independent place for those conversations to happen.
We can also help families better understand some of the risks their relatives may encounter online, including scams and misleading information.
The aim isn't to take independence away.
It is to help protect it.
For community groups
We would love to work with organisations already bringing people together.
That might include:
-
Community groups
-
Libraries
-
Charities
-
Local organisations
-
Clubs and associations
-
Community centres
-
Voluntary organisations
-
Faith and neighbourhood groups
Sessions can be relaxed, conversational and tailored around the people attending.
Sometimes the most valuable session may simply begin with:
“What would you like technology to help you do?”
For care providers and retirement communities
Technology has the potential to help older people remain connected, independent and engaged.
But introducing technology successfully requires more than simply making it available.
People need confidence.
They need reassurance.
And they need the opportunity to explore new tools in a way that respects the individual.
Ampersand can work with care homes, retirement communities and other organisations supporting older people to create Digital Confidence sessions appropriate to their residents, families or wider communities.
This might include everyday technology, online safety, communication tools or accessible introductions to artificial intelligence.
Our approach remains the same:
Human first. Technology second.
An Ampersand Community Initiative
We believe businesses should be part of the communities around them.
That is why we intend Digital Confidence to include opportunities for free community sessions, alongside programmes developed for organisations looking to provide more structured support.
It gives us an opportunity to share some of what we know.
More importantly, it gives us an opportunity to listen.
Because the best way to understand where people are struggling with technology is to ask them.
You are allowed not to know.
Technology has acquired a strange habit of making people feel they should already understand it.
Sometimes instructions begin halfway through the explanation.
Sometimes jargon gets in the way.
And sometimes people quietly stop trying because asking feels uncomfortable.
We would like to change that.
You are allowed to ask:
“What does that mean?”
You are allowed to say:
“Can you show me again?”
And you are absolutely allowed to decide that a particular piece of technology isn't for you.
Digital confidence isn't about using more technology.
It is about having enough understanding to make that decision for yourself.
Let’s start a conversation.
If you are part of a community group, care organisation, retirement community or local organisation, or you simply think a Digital Confidence session could help people you know, we'd love to hear from you.
You don't need to know exactly what you need.
Tell us who you are hoping to help and what you are seeing.
We can work out the rest together.
Helping people feel more confident in a digital world.
Ampersand AI Solutions
Human first. Technology second.