We designed a unified icon system to reduce visual inconsistency and cognitive load in warehouse operations. This improved task recognition, sped up decision-making on handheld devices, and made workflows more efficient while creating a more intuitive and scalable interface.
Mercado Libre, one of the largest logistics platforms in Latin America, relies on Fulfillment Centers to move products between sellers and buyers.
In these warehouses, operators use handheld devices for tasks like scanning and moving items, but inconsistent icon styles and weak real-world representation created friction in fast-paced environments.
As a Product Designer on the Design System team, I led the unification of iconography across Mercado Envios. The challenge was to create a consistent, scalable, and highly recognizable system that enabled operators to understand actions quickly with minimal cognitive effort, even in noisy, high-distraction environments.
We looked at all existing icons across the platform, identifying multiple variations for the same actions with inconsistent styles and levels of detail.
By analyzing their use in context and considering the realities of warehouse environments, where attention is split between movement, safety, and task execution, we identified the need for a visual system that could be understood instantly, at a glance.
We then established the most important icons and designed them through iterative design, balancing clarity and realism.
The final system used pictograms inspired by real warehouse objects and was validated and improved through on-site testing with operators, resulting in a unified, scalable icon set optimized for handheld devices that reduced reliance on text and enabled faster and more intuitive task execution.
I collaborated with cross-functional stakeholders to create a cohesive pictogram-based icon system for Mercado Envios.
The result was a unified, scalable visual language optimized and documented for handheld devices, that enabled quick recognition, reducing reliance on text, and helping operators perform tasks through clear visual cues.
Faster task recognition across interfaces
Reduced cognitive load for warehouse operators
Improved task execution time and operational SLAs
This project reinforced the importance of clarity and consistency in high-pressure environments, showing how a strong visual system can bridge the physical and digital worlds to make workflows more intuitive, efficient and reliable, while improving both user experience and operational performance.
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