Oilfiled Chemicals

I modernized a decades-old typewritten field engineering manual for Chevron Oilfield Chemicals. The original manual spanned hundreds of pages of technical content and was used by field engineers in harsh, outdoor oilfield environments. Faded text and aging diagrams made automated OCR scanning unreliable, so a fresh, manual approach was required to preserve accuracy and clarity.

Design & Implementation

I manually retyped and curated the entire document content. Using Adobe InDesign, I established a consistent design system with unified typography and styling for body text, headings, figures, captions, annotations, and footnotes. Diagrams were redrawn or cleaned up for digital clarity and seamlessly integrated into the text. The result is a cohesive, modern layout that works as both a polished print reference and an interactive PDF.

UX Enhancements

To improve usability on tablets in rugged conditions, I added interactive navigation and readability enhancements. The PDF includes a linked, bookmarked table of contents and internal hyperlinks for quick navigation. Typography and layout were optimized with high-contrast, large, legible fonts to ensure clarity in bright sunlight and when wearing gloves. These UX-focused features enable field engineers to find information quickly under challenging conditions.

Collaboration Workflow

I deployed a custom WebDAV server to streamline stakeholder review and feedback. Chevron team members could remotely access the draft manual, leave comments, and suggest edits directly in the document. This collaborative workflow kept all feedback centralized and up to date, speeding up the revision process and serving as an early example of digital documentation.

Key Contributions

• Content modernization: Manually retyped over 200 pages of technical text and diagrams, replacing an unreliable scanned original.

• InDesign layout design: Established cohesive style guidelines (fonts, headings, figures, captions, etc.) in Adobe InDesign for consistent formatting.

• Interactive PDF: Added a linked, bookmarked table of contents and internal hyperlinks for quick navigation on tablets.

• Collaborative workflow: Deployed a custom WebDAV server, enabling stakeholders to review, comment, and suggest edits in real time.

• Field-ready UX: Optimized typography and layout (high contrast, large font sizes) for readability on tablets in harsh oilfield environments.