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Juanma Jiménez

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Juanma Jiménez

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Juanma Jiménez

When Designing Means More Than Just Screens.

Date. 2015 — 2019.

Company. Carto.

Role. Product Designer.

Services. UX/UI, Prototyping, Information Architecture.

Tools. Sketch, InVision, Atomic Design, GitHub, FullStory, Google Analytics, Google Forms.

Situation — A Rough Sketch with Huge Potential.

The world is flooded with data. But without context, without location, without a way to see it meaningfully, it's just numbers floating in a sea of uncertainty.

That’s where Builder came in. It was the evolution of the old "Editor" in CARTO—a tool that allowed users to upload, visualize, and analyze geospatial data on a map.

To make things even more challenging, CARTO underwent a complete rebranding during development. We had to design Builder while redefining the company's visual identity.

Task — Building a Solid Product.

The challenge wasn’t just to create a nice interface. It was much more than that. Alongside two other designers and one of CARTO’s co-founders, we faced a monumental task:

Create a scalable visual and functional system.
Design over 500 screens in record time.
Reduce complexity for users without sacrificing power.
Unify the experience despite the brand identity shift.
Transform a confusing product into an intuitive and powerful tool.

The pressure was intense. Tight deadlines and a huge ambition to revolutionize the geospatial data industry drove us forward.

Action — Designing a System, Not Just Screens.

The key was to design smart. We couldn’t afford to waste time on every single screen. We had to create a modular system. Inspired by Brad Frost’s Atomic Design, we built a minimalist visual language with just a few core elements—but infinitely combinable. The philosophy was clear: do more with less. Like IKEA’s iconic Billy bookshelf.

The results were striking:

500+ screens designed in record time.
6 months from foundation to the first functional version.
A living design system, allowing the team to scale without losing consistency.
A modular, flexible product, easy to adapt to new use cases.

But the road wasn’t easy. In the beginning, making information architecture and design decisions felt like an endless process. We got caught up in details that seemed insignificant at the time. But once we defined the core pillars, the pace skyrocketed.

Users could:

Upload and geolocate data automatically.
Visualize information on a map in seconds.
Apply advanced analytics with just a few clicks.
Add interactive widgets to explore data dynamically.
Switch between map view and table view based on their needs.

Result — When Design Becomes a Standard.

We didn’t just create a product. We set a new standard in the industry.

In 2017, Builder won the Golden Laus, one of the most prestigious awards in digital design. We celebrated it properly—with a party worthy of the work we had done.

But beyond the recognition, the real takeaway was the lesson learned: when you design systems instead of just screens, the impact is real and lasting.

The benefits of a systematized approach:

42% reduction in visual design time.
Seamless team scalability.
Less time spent on last-minute tweaks.
More autonomy and efficiency for developers.
A product easier to implement and maintain.

Final Reflections.

Looking back, I see Builder not just as a product, but as a shift in mindset. We learned that when you design with strategy, the result transcends the moment. It’s not just a pretty screen that changes with the next version. It’s a philosophy that endures.

Builder wasn’t just a tool. It was a legacy.

And that’s the difference between designing something beautiful and designing something with real impact.

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