SurvivorSpace — building a digital product with the audience, not just for them.

SurvivorSpace began with a question that shaped almost every decision that followed: how do you build a digital resource for adult survivors of child sexual abuse without assuming you already know what survivors want from it? Stephanie helped develop the original concept and worked across the project's digital experience, interactive content, multimedia, and technology. Because the project was funded through a federal grant, there was another layer to the work — specific deliverables, timelines, reporting requirements, and administrative milestones that had to be met while still leaving room to listen, experiment, and change direction when needed.

Most resources built for survivors are designed about them rather than with them. The risk here was building a polished platform that assumed what survivors needed — while also satisfying the deliverables, reporting, and milestones that come with federal grant funding.

One of the most important decisions we made was to compensate survivors as subject matter experts and involve them directly in creating content. "By survivors, for survivors" had to describe the actual development process, not simply become a tagline. That philosophy led to interactive resources and multiple ways of consuming information — because people process difficult subjects differently — and to bringing survivors together for candid, roundtable-style filmed conversations. We produced two studio sessions in Washington, D.C., pairing survivors with different experiences for the Conversations with Survivors series. The platform kept growing after launch into a website and mobile experience with resources, survivor-created content, community features, and educational programming.