Design a method for people to self-issue verifiable credentials to document their skills and experiences.
About The Project
To support the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation T3 Innovation Network's mission "to accelerate the use of digital tools to make the job market fairer and more inclusive" we designed an open-source proof of concept that enables job seekers to link self-issued and organization-issued Verifiable Credentials (VCs) to any part of their resume. Working at the intersection of product design, decentralized identity, and narrative storytelling, we conceptualized a tool that supports data sovereignty, credential portability, and flexible narrative rendering.
LinkedCreds (also known briefly as LinkedClaims and OpenCreds) is a lightweight credential authoring and sharing tool designed to make it easier for individuals and organizations to issue and use verifiable credentials without needing complex infrastructure. The project began as a collaboration between multiple partners aligned with open-source and decentralized identity ecosystems, with Predictive UX leading user experience design, usability research, and product strategy.
We focused on making the creation and sharing of credentials feel familiar—more like filling out a form or writing a LinkedIn recommendation than configuring a blockchain. The goal was to ensure that trust could be earned and demonstrated through simple, flexible workflows that everyday users could adopt.
LinkedCreds supports self-issued, peer-issued, and organizational credentials, and is compatible with LER-RS emerging standards for decentralized identifiers and verifiable credentials. The tool is designed for transparency, consent, and portability, giving users control over what they share and with whom.
Built with wallet-attached storage in mind, LinkedCreds allows users to store credentials wherever they choose and link them to resumes, profiles, or other digital artifacts using hashlinks.
Figure 1. LinkedCreds is responsive and mobile-friendly by design
Client
The US Chamber of Commerce T3 Innovation Network whose mission is to accelerate the use of digital tools to make the job market fairer and more inclusive.
What We Did
Led design, requirements refinement, and in-depth user testing in collaboration with technical partners to align on credential types, user flows, rendering strategies.
Outcomes
A working POC with for showcasing how to create a self-issued verifiable credential, link evidence to it, and collect recommendations to strengthen the value.
Delivery Time
6 months
FEATURES
Claim a Skill and Add Evidence to Create a Verifiable Credential (VC)
LinkedCreds makes it easy for anyone to document what they know—whether they learned it on the job, in a classroom, or through lived experience. With just a few steps, users can self-claim a skill, describe how they gained it, and attach supporting evidence such as documents, images, links, or feedback. Once complete, the claim is saved as a verifiable credential they control.
Add Recommendations to Any VC
LinkedCreds makes it easy to enhance any verifiable credential by attaching trusted recommendations. Whether you’ve claimed a skill like “Barista” or logged an experience like volunteer work or leadership training, you can now request and link endorsements from people who know your work.
Each recommendation includes:
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The recommender’s name and relationship to the user
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A short testimonial written in their own words
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Optional supporting evidence, such as a signed letter or document
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A digital signature that anchors the recommendation to a trustable source
This feature helps increase trust and visibility for self-asserted credentials—providing added context for hiring managers, educators, and reviewers who want to know not just what you did, but who can vouch for you.
.png?width=250&height=539&name=LinkedCreds%20Recommendation%20Expanded%20(mobile).png "An image of a mobile webpage showing recommendations attached to a verifiable credential in the LinkedCreds app")