[WORK ITEM PROPOSAL] Verifiable Credentials Guide for Developers (VC-GUIDE-DEVELOPERS)

Announcement of a new W3C Community Note Work Item Proposal entitled Verifiable Credentials Guide for Developers.

Links

  1.  Work Item documentation: Verifiable Credentials Guide for Developers (VC-GUIDE-DEVELOPERS) #206<https://github.com/w3c-ccg/community/issues/206>
  2.  Initial repository: https://github.com/mwherman2000/vc-guide-developers
  3.  Initial draft and outline of the W3C Community Note: https://mwherman2000.github.io/vc-guide-developers/
  4.  Statements of support: https://github.com/w3c-ccg/community/issues/206#issuecomment-907836338
Feedback


  *   Work Item Proposal Feedback: Please provide your feedback by replying to this email, by contacting one of the editors, or by posting your feedback here: https://github.com/w3c-ccg/community/issues/206

  *   VC-GUIDE-DEVELOPERS W3C Community Note: Please provide your feedback by replying to this email, by contacting one of the editors, or by posting your feedback here: https://github.com/mwherman2000/vc-guide-developers/issues

Work Item Proposal
New Work Item Proposal

See W3C-CCG New Work Item Process<https://w3c-ccg.github.io/workitem-process/>

Include Link to Abstract or Draft

  *   [VC-GUIDE-DEVELOPERS<https://github.com/mwherman2000/vc-guide-developers>] https://github.com/mwherman2000/vc-guide-developers

List Owners

  *   Michael Herman (Trusted Digital Web) - @mwherman2000<https://github.com/mwherman2000>
  *   David Chadwick (University of Kent) - @David-Chadwick<https://github.com/David-Chadwick>

@David-Chadwick<https://github.com/David-Chadwick> is also serving as the primary (initial) person assigned to the role of W3C experienced work item owner/editor/contributor assisting @mwherman2000<https://github.com/mwherman2000>.

Work Item Questions

  1.  Explain what you are trying to do using no jargon or acronyms.

Create a W3C Community Note entitled Verifiable Credentials Guide for Developers that satisfies the following Goals, Non-Goals, and Intended Audience statements.

Goals

  *   Provide a first entry point or landing area for members of the intended audience to:
     *   Help readers locate each of the documents that are part of the collection of [VCWG] deliverables that, in turn, describe what Verifiable Credentials are and how to use them ("Documentation"); as well as how to test conformance of a Verifiable Credential implementation against the Documentation.
     *   Help readers understand the purpose of each deliverable in the Documentation as well as understand the relationships between each pair of the deliverables (as appropriate).
     *   For specific key topics, understand where in the Documentation to look for help; for example, key topics might include Data Model, Conformance, Use Cases, Specific Data Platform Considerations, External Resources, etc.
     *   Project the Documentation as a comprehensive body of knowledge about Verified Credentials (or at least a great starting point).

Non-Goals

  *   The guide is not a Primer in the classic W3C sense. A list of Primer examples is available in the CCG mailing list.

Intended Audience

  *   The intended audience for the [VC-GUIDE-DEVELOPERS<https://github.com/mwherman2000/vc-guide-developers>] is a broad range of professionals interested in furthering the application of Verifiable Credentials technology for use in software apps, agents, and services. The primary audience includes software architects, application developers, and user experience (UX) specialists; as well as other people involved in a broad range of standards efforts related to decentralized identity, verifiable credentials, and secure storage.

  1.  How is it done today, and what are the limits of the current practice?

  *   Nothing similar exists today (possibly with the exception being the Verified Credential Data Model charter document (which was not written with the above goals in mind)). There is no existing guidance or cross-reference that describes, guides people in their use of, nor interconnects the existing deliverables in the Documentation.

  1.  What is new in your approach and why do you think it will be successful?

  *   Initial positive feedback from community members as well as the [VCWG] chairs and [VC-DATA-MODEL] editors. Reference: [PRINCIPLED OBJECTION] The VC data model specification 1.0 is not implementable in the ways it appears to be intended based on the text of the current specification document w3c/vc-data-model#797 (comment)<https://github.com/w3c/vc-data-model/issues/797#issuecomment-906171262>
  *   Concerns and objections, particularly from members of the (external/outside) Developer audience, that the current [VC-DATA-MODEL] is not implementable based on the actual text of the recommendation. Reference: [PRINCIPLED OBJECTION] The VC data model specification 1.0 is not implementable in the ways it appears to be intended based on the text of the current specification document w3c/vc-data-model#797<https://github.com/w3c/vc-data-model/issues/797>
  *   The [VC-GUIDE-DEVELOPERS<https://github.com/mwherman2000/vc-guide-developers>], 3-5 pages of body text, can be completed fairly quickly, without too much contention, and still provide significant value - for the stated intended audience (possibly in the 1.1/1.2 timeframe without impacting the 1.1/1.2 schedule ...or with very minimal impact).

  1.  How are you involving participants from multiple skill sets and global locations in this work item? (Skill sets: technical, design, product, marketing, anthropological, and UX. Global locations: the Americas, APAC, Europe, Middle East.)

  *   Use of 2 geographically dispersed editors living in vastly different time zones (Western Canada and the United Kingdom)
  *   Use of the CCG mailing list
  *   Use of GitHub issues and discussions

NOTE: The expected limited length and scope of the [VC-GUIDE-DEVELOPERS<https://github.com/mwherman2000/vc-guide-developers>] reduces these requirements somewhat. The expected amount of elapsed (calendar) time from the start of this work item to its successful completion is expected to be small (a couple of weeks?). See Process and Plan below.

  1.  What actions are you taking to make this work item accessible to a non-technical audience?

  *   The text of the [VC-GUIDE-DEVELOPERS<https://github.com/mwherman2000/vc-guide-developers>] is expected to be almost entirely non-normative and less technical based on the nature of the guidance to be included in the guide.
  *   The guide, in an odd sort of way, will likely enhance the verifiable credential experience for a non-technical audience by providing clear and understandable descriptions and guidance for the Documentation. This guide may end up meeting most (or all) of their needs in their search for a basic understanding of the Documentation.
  *   Minimal use of acronyms ("VC" is not to be used anywhere, for example).

Process and Plan

The writing process to be used for the guide is based on a severely contracted version of the following...

[twp-document-development-planschedule-outline]<https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/6101736/131253168-9e5980c5-7611-4c40-ba14-6830c8237022.png>

Best regards,
Michael Herman
Far Left Self-Sovereignist
First Principles Thinker

Self-Sovereign Blockchain Architect
Trusted Digital Web
Hyperonomy Digital Identity Lab
Parallelspace Corporation

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