My Skills Pocket app: Pilot research findings
In Arizona, the retail industry is thriving, employing over 694,000 people and ranking as the state’s fourth-largest employment sector. These retail workers bring valuable skills and experience gained on the job, making them strong candidates for roles both within and beyond the sales floor. Verifiable digital credentials provide a powerful new way for them to showcase these achievements, opening doors for career growth in an evolving job market.
Recognizing this potential, Arizona State University’s Trusted Learner Network (TLN) and the Center for the Future of Arizona (CFA) partnered to launch "My Skills Pocket" — a digital wallet app that transforms job achievements into verifiable credentials (VCs) and puts them in the hands of the holders, making them portable outside of the original issuer's walls.
In collaboration with Karsten’s ACE Hardware, this pilot project aims to help retail employees highlight their skills and unlock new opportunities for advancement.
By the numbers
Seventeen employees from Karsten’s ACE Hardware, ranging in age from 23 to 71, volunteered to participate in the pilot. Over the course of 3-months, 91 verifiable credentials (VCs) were issued via a web-based issuer app built on the Veramo framework. These credentials were digital, portable and indefinitely verifiable versions of the physical pins ACE employees receive for completing skills-focused training in ACE's internal LMS, such as Paint Prodigy and Hardware Hero.
To assess user experience and identify areas for improvement, the pilot included virtual feedback sessions with small groups of ACE Hardware employees. Over the course of four sessions, 10 employees shared their insights. Employees were also able to share feedback within the My Skills Pocket app.
High usability scores: The app received positive feedback for its overall ease of use, with participants reporting little to no difficulty navigating its features.
Challenges with sharing credentials: Participants found sharing credentials less intuitive, often unsure of their value or how to use them effectively. (Note: This is common: As verifiable credentials are not universally adopted yet, it makes sense that the concept and incentive for sharing credentials is currently vague.)
Career development potential: Employees saw My Skills Pocket as a valuable tool for showcasing their skills and achievements to current or prospective employers, expressing interest in further integrating career advancement features into the app.
Adding value to work
For many employees, My Skills Pocket provided a meaningful way to document their contributions. One participant noted, “It can show I’ve done a little bit extra rather than just getting paid to do what I do.” Another shared that the app gave them the language to better describe their achievements, adding, “I’m always at a loss for words; I don’t know what I do, I just show up!”
Some participants also expressed that the recognition of their achievements through the app motivated them to continue developing professionally. Several were enthusiastic about continuing to use the app beyond the pilot phase.
Lessons learned
Lacey Dobbs, HR Manager at Karsten’s ACE Hardware and pilot lead, shared key insights from the pilot in a recent interview.
Employee ownership of credentials: A standout benefit of My Skills Pocket is the ability for employees to retain their certifications and accomplishments even after leaving the company. This represents a major improvement over traditional systems that often terminate access upon employee departure.
Employer-led engagement: Dobbs emphasized that for the app to succeed, active employer engagement is crucial. “If the employer is not the one sending notifications, making sure the employees are engaged in it, it won’t go anywhere,” Dobbs noted.
Smooth user experience: The app received positive feedback from the Karsten’s ACE Hardware employees for its intuitive design and polished user interface, exceeding expectations for the pilot.
Personal communication drives participation: Dobbs observed that direct, in-person communication was far more effective in encouraging employees, particularly assistant store managers, to join the pilot compared to digital announcements. “Almost every assistant manager signed up for the pilot after me personally being able to tell them about it,” said Dobbs.
A successful partnership
Reflecting on the pilot’s impact, Dobbs highlighted the app’s value for long-term career growth. “To have an app where I could always recall it and say, 'These are the things I did accomplish,' and be able to bring that to a future employment or to a different state,” said Dobbs. “The best part of this app is that you own [your credentials]. They don’t just belong to ACE [the company] now.”
Dave Karsten, President of Karsten’s ACE Hardware, also praised the partnership: “When the whole world is focused on the high-tech industry and what those workforces look like and what tools they may need to improve and develop in their roles…ASU and CFA came to us looking for an organization with an engaged workforce that would be willing to help create an impactful tool on their quest to find real solutions for the workforce in Arizona. Thank you for getting on board and making a difference.”