Roman Reed - Break the Stigma

My Role: Development & Production Lead
Tools: Figma, ProtoPie

Break the Stigma is a harm-reduction education initiative designed as a connected system of physical and digital touchpoints. Funded through a Smart and Healthy Cities grant, the project uses environmental graphics, a pop-up booth, and interactive elements alongside social media, an educational website, and a digital game to meet users where they already are. The goal is to reduce stigma through clear, accessible information and empathetic design—creating an experience that feels human, approachable, and practical rather than clinical or judgmental.

Our visit to The Everywhere Project played a major role in shaping our design decisions. We learned that nearly 80% of overdoses happen in the home, and that access to clean supplies makes people four times more likely to seek treatment. Reinforcing the need to bring education and resources into everyday, familiar spaces. We also saw firsthand that stigma is best addressed through positive, approachable design rather than fear-based or intimidating messaging. Alongside our research, we assembled safe-use kits for distribution across Philadelphia, grounding our design work in real community impact and harm-reduction practice.

We mapped the complex network of stakeholders to understand how information flows through the community and identify opportunities for intervention.

To understand our diverse student audience, we developed three personas representing a spectrum of perspectives on substance use and harm reduction from supportive advocates to skeptical opponents. Each persona helped us identify specific design opportunities throughout the user journey.