You can try what i did...put it to a test! 1. Set up private test room on riot.im/matrix.org server. 2. Have family members download mobile riot.im app/client

You can try what i did...put it to a test! 1. Set up private test room on riot.im/matrix.org server. 2. Have family members download mobile riot.im app/client. 3. Have them play around with the system - specifically within the private room that you set up - and see what they like/dislike. 4. If they like it, and you aren't too worried about privacy, keep using that private room on the riot.im/matrix.org server. 5. Alternatively, for maximum privacy, set up your own matrix instance - using the reference synapse server - on a private VPS that you control, etc. Because of federation (for the win!), you can always later connect with other servers/rooms (that are not on your server, think like email federation). Honestly, the UI on riot.im is so very intuitive, and has a very low learning curve; quite newbie-friendly (in my opinion). Good luck!