Shell - Energy Isolation

Commissioned by Shell as part of their broader Health, Safety, and Environment VR training strategy. Delivered in partnership with Immerse, under the “Ready Operator 1” program umbrella focusing on field safety and process training.

Role

VR UX Designer

Target Hardware

Oculus Quest 2

Industries

Oil and Gas / Industrial Safety

Date

Dec 2020 - Aug 2021

Problem

  • Traditional training methods (paper-based or classroom-based) were ineffective for spatial tasks like valve isolation and safety checks.

  • Users often failed to retain procedural sequences or identify physical hazard points.

  • Needed an engaging, multi-scene VR training module that enforced procedural compliance, enabled learning through failure, and aligned with real-world environments and safety protocols.

My Role

  • Designing user flows, interface systems, and interaction models across all six training scenes.

  • Wireframing and prototyping all VR menus, feedback panels, and spatial UI elements.

  • Mapping instructional audio, visual states, haptics, and interaction logic to drive correct procedural behavior.

  • Conducting internal usability testing and authoring feedback cycles that informed build iterations.

  • Worked closely with the technical team (3D artists, developers, audio designers).

Process

Discovery & Research:

  • Worked from Shell’s engineering P&ID diagrams to map interactive training elements.


Design & Iteration:

  • Created modular scene layouts and spatial UI systems.

  • Iterated on teleportation UX, menu scaling, and scoreboard readability.

  • Authored design documents, logic diagrams, and interaction flows (e.g., valve tagging, walk-the-line protocols).


Collaboration & QA:

  • Participated in feedback cycles across multiple builds, reporting UX flaws and proposing improvements.

  • Worked directly with developers to fine-tune VO timing and haptic triggers.

  • Integrated magnetic whiteboard mechanics, error consequence logic (e.g., explosion endings), and proximity-based interactions.

Solution

Experience covered:

  • P&ID orientation.

  • PPE selection.

  • Valve isolation and LOTO.

  • Walk-the-line inspection with NPC.

  • Toolbox talk task board.

  • Outcome scene with success/failure branches.

  • Created a fixed-position scoreboard UI with tabbed scoring breakdowns and mandatory section review.


Used branching logic to reinforce decisions, with bad outcomes triggering chapter restarts.

Outcome

Successfully deployed on Oculus Quest 2 with full multiplayer functionality.

Internal testing and stakeholder feedback praised:

  • Instructional clarity.

  • Branching outcomes.

  • Effective integration of real-world diagrams.

  • Project recognized by Shell and Immerse as a flagship training module, cited in external case studies for its learning efficacy.

Reflection

Challenges:

  • Mapping dense technical diagrams into usable VR UI while preserving accuracy.

  • Ensuring spatial UI readability.

  • Balancing realism with user comfort and ease of use.


Wins:

  • Full design ownership across UX/UI systems for a complex workflow.

  • Instructional and error-handling logic directly improved learning retention.

  • Tested by QA and in client reviews to be intuitive VR training.