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Made by Design · Chapter 2

The Design Process

Empathize, define, ideate, prototype, test, and then do it again

Rio and Milo redesign a water bottle for a long-distance hiker, and nothing works on the first try. Along the way they learn the five modes of design: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test, a loop you walk again and again.

12 panels · ~6 min read

Rio and Milo stand with a hiker at a mountain trailhead in morning light, about to begin watching her instead of sketching.

Panel 1

Rio and Milo crouch beside a hiker on a sunny trail, listening as she describes the struggles of drinking water while walking.

Panel 2

A close view of hands sketching in a notebook, capturing a hiker's words and gestures, while a boy leans in to watch.

Panel 3

Rio and Milo lean over a workbench, writing a single clear problem statement distilled from their notes.

Panel 4

A tabletop covered in silly rough sketches of water bottle ideas, including one shaped like a hat and one with a giant curly straw.

Panel 5

Milo reaches to crumple an embarrassing sketch while Rio gently stops his hand, smiling.

Panel 6

Rio and Milo circle two standout sketches on a cluttered table: a bottle with a drinking tube and a bottle with a clear water-level stripe.

Panel 7

Rio and Milo tape together a rough cardboard prototype of a water bottle with a drinking straw poking out of the top.

Panel 8

A hiker walks a sunny trail testing a rough cardboard prototype, water leaking from the taped straw, while Rio and Milo watch nearby.

Panel 9

Rio holds up a soggy, failed cardboard prototype with a satisfied smile while Milo stands with arms crossed, frustrated but thinking.

Panel 10

A hiker walks comfortably using an improved cardboard prototype with a magnetic cap, while Rio and Milo look on from the workbench.

Panel 11

Rio and Milo sit together at golden hour with the finished water bottle between them, Milo drawing a five-step loop in his notebook.

Panel 12

Cover