Sophie Schmitt, Seniosphere's co-founder, has been nominated EEC Expert for the Vicon project, part of the e-inclusion program.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) play an essential role in supporting daily life in today's digital society. They are used at work, in day-to-day relationships, in dealing with public services as well as in culture, entertainment, leisure and when participating in community and political dialogues. e-Inclusion means both inclusive ICT and the use of ICT to achieve wider inclusion objectives. It focuses on participation of all individuals and communities in all aspects of the information society. e-Inclusion policy, therefore, aims at reducing gaps in ICT usage and promoting the use of ICT to overcome exclusion, and improve economic performance, employment opportunities, quality of life, social participation and cohesion. e-Inclusion is one of the pillars of the i2010 initiative on the Information Society, and is closely related to other European policies, namely on social inclusion, education and culture, regional development.

VICON stands for: Virtual User Concept for Inclusive design of Consumer Products and User Interfaces.

The definition of the Vicon project is as follow:
The needs of people with physical or sensory impairments are generally not well considered when designing user interfaces to consumer products. Controls and displays often fail to meet the requirements of users with visual, hearing, mobility or dexterity impairments.

It is difficult for mainstream manufacturers to have a detailed understanding of these needs and how to design for them. Manufacturers would benefit from the support of a third party solution to input the necessary knowledge.

VICON aims to provide this support through the development of an advanced Virtual User Model which will enable virtual testing and feedback throughout the development lifecycle.