Nestlé Safe Modes - Immersive VR Training for Industrial Safety

This project was initiated as part of Nestlé’s global upskilling and safety reinforcement initiative. It addressed challenges in engagement and retention found in previous training formats and required deployment across multiple languages and cultural contexts.

Role

VR UX Designer

Target Hardware

Oculus Quest 2, Pico Neo3

Industries

Food & Beverage Manufacturing / Workplace Safety

Date

Nov 2020 - Mar 2021

Problem

  • Existing training methods yielded only ~10% retention rates in critical safety knowledge.

  • Traditional in-person demos lacked realism, scalability, and consistent feedback mechanisms.

  • Safety scenarios involved complex procedures (e.g., Lockout Tagout - LOTO) that were hard to internalize through passive formats.

  • Nestlé needed a solution that could scale globally and adapt to language and regional nuances.

My Role

  • Led interaction design for the full VR experience across four 'Safe Modes'.

  • Authored and structured the master design document, user flows, onboarding logic, and error handling sequences.

  • Defined the spatial layout and UX flow logic, working across teams (engineering, QA, and art).

  • Provided detailed QA feedback that led to critical redesigns and performance fixes.


Designed systems such as:

  • A teleportation waypoint system (built into the Immerse SDK and reused in other projects).

  • A tray-based LOTO system to simplify inventory management for first-time users.

  • All VO and narrative logic for branching scenarios and assessment feedback.

Process

Research & Planning:

  • Co-authored initial training spec, aligning with Nestlé safety regulations.

  • Mapped the complete VR environment and scenario flows using logic trees and spatial floorplans.


Design & Prototyping:

  • Developed wireframes and logic diagrams (snap-to tools, NPC interactions, decision trees).

  • Created branching scenario logic for safe/unsafe actions and consequences.

  • Designed UI for assessments, feedback screens, and immersive overlays.


Iteration & Development:

  • Participated in ongoing QA testing and review cycles.

  • Logged and resolved interaction bugs.

  • Fine-tuned fail/retry logic for better training reinforcement.


Collaboration:

  • Worked with audio, 3D art, engineering, and narrative teams to unify voiceover, spatial design, and interactivity.

  • Integrated client feedback to reflect legal and procedural training standards.

Solution

A modular VR training app covering four Safe Modes:

  • SM1: Guarded rotating platform

  • SM2: Light-curtain-controlled robot arm

  • SM3: LOTO with multi-energy isolation

  • SM4: Permit-to-work with real-time risk analysis


Systems I led:

  • Teleportation system, and zones to match flow.

  • Inventory tray UX to manage tools/locks with contextual snap zones.

  • Fail-retry flow enabling consequence-driven learning.

  • Narrative scripting for voice-guided training, contextual responses, and branching errors.

  • Realistic spatial layout and environmental cues, supported by ambient soundscapes and VO feedback.

Outcome

  • 75% recall rate in safety assessments vs. 10% from prior methods

  • Deployed in seven languages, scaling across Nestlé’s global workforce

  • Successfully ported to multiple VR devices (Oculus Quest 2 → Pico)

  • Recognized publicly by Nestlé as a benchmark for immersive training


Final system supported:

  • Error-driven learning

  • Real-time assessments

  • SDK and teleport modules reused in future Immerse projects — showing design system scalability

Reflection

Biggest Challenge: Designing inventory and tool-use UX that were intuitive and easy to use while maintaining VR usability and clarity.


Growth Areas:

  • Further developed ability to collaborate effectively across various disciplines within the team.

  • Developed insights into accessibility considerations for non-gamer users in immersive UX, alongside refining approaches to consequence-based learning design.