Easy Badges: Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Digital Credentials (2025)

Digital badges have become the new standard for verifying skills in today's professional landscape. According to a recent Credly Blog report, 83% of employers now prefer digital badges when verifying student skills. As someone who's spent the past year working closely with universities on their digital credentialing initiatives, I've seen firsthand how this shift is transforming the way we recognise and validate achievements.

I know that creating digital badges can seem complex at first. Through my conversations with course leaders and pro-vice-chancellors across UK universities, I've identified the common challenges and questions that often arise when institutions begin their digital badging journey.

In this guide, I'll walk you through everything you need to know about creating effective digital credentials - from understanding what digital badges are and planning your program, to the step-by-step creation process and measuring success. Whether you're new to digital badges or looking to enhance your existing program, you'll find practical insights to help you develop secure, meaningful credentials that truly represent your learners' achievements.

What are Digital Badges?

digital certificates, but smarter and more powerful.

They're not just pretty pictures though. Each badge contains important hidden information that proves it's genuine and shows exactly what you achieved to earn it.

These digital badges are rapidly replacing paper certificates in education and professional development. With a growing number of HR professionals embracing digital credentials, it makes sense - they're much more practical and secure than traditional paper certificates.

Think about trying to prove your qualifications to an employer. With paper certificates, you'd need to scan them, email them, and hope they don't get lost in someone's inbox. Digital badges solve this problem elegantly.

With digital badges, you can share them instantly on your LinkedIn profile or CV. Better yet, anyone can verify they're genuine with just one click, making the verification process seamless and trustworthy.

Every digital badge contains specific required information that makes it valuable and verifiable:

• The badge name and description clearly stating what was achieved
• Detailed criteria showing exactly how it was earned
• Issue date and expiry date (if there is one)
• Information about the organisation that issued it
• Evidence links that prove you completed the requirements
• secure verification data that proves it's genuine

The benefits are clear for both badge earners and issuers:

• For People Earning Badges:
  • Share achievements instantly online
  • Build a digital portfolio of skills
  • Prove qualifications are genuine
  • Track your professional development
• For Organisations Issuing Badges:
  • Automate the whole certificate process
  • Make your qualifications more valuable
  • Track who's earned what
  • Build your brand recognition

The really clever bit is how specific these badges can be. Instead of one general certificate saying you completed a course, you might get separate badges for different skills you mastered, creating a more detailed picture of your capabilities.

Plus, because they're digital, they never fade, get lost, or need to be reprinted. They're permanent proof of your achievements, secured by blockchain technology for tamper-proof verification. When issued through a secure digital credentialing platform, these badges are automatically stored on your digital profiles, ready to be shared with employers or displayed on professional networks.

The best part? You own your badges completely. Once you earn them, they're yours to keep and share however you want, building up your professional digital identity over time.

When you share your badge on platforms like LinkedIn, the digital badge image appears with a transparent background, optimised perfectly for their format. Behind the scenes, all that metadata we talked about earlier gets embedded using something called JSON-LD, which is just a technical way of saying "other platforms can read and verify this badge automatically."

Planning Your Badge Program

Thinking carefully about your badge program before diving in will save you tons of time later and make sure your badges actually mean something to those who earn them. Digital badges effectively capture and communicate what an individual knows and can demonstrate.

Setting Clear Objectives

The key to a successful badge program is knowing exactly what you want to achieve. Start by writing down specific answers to these questions:

• What specific skills or achievements will each badge recognise?
• How will someone prove they deserve the badge?
• How will these badges help your learners in their professional development?
• What ongoing value will the badges provide to both earners and employers?

Your badge criteria need to be SMART criteria - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. This isn't just corporate jargon - it's about making sure your badges have real value.

For example, instead of a vague "Leadership Badge", you might have a "Team Project Leadership Badge" that requires someone to:

• Successfully lead a team project from start to finish
• Receive positive feedback from at least 80% of team members
• Complete the project within the agreed timeframe and budget
• Document their leadership approach and lessons learned
• Present project outcomes to senior stakeholders

Think about creating clear pathways too. Your badges should build on each other in a way that makes sense - like stepping stones to bigger achievements. Florida Gulf Coast University found success with stackable badges that mapped students' achievements throughout their academic journey, focusing on both basic research skills and expert-level achievements like publishing in top-tier journals.

One effective approach is using different levels:

Don't forget to consider how long your badges should remain valid. Some skills need regular updating, so you might want to add expiry dates or renewal requirements to keep them meaningful. In today's rapidly evolving workplace, many successful programs include continuous skill development and regular updates to badge criteria to reflect current industry needs.

Design Standards

Your badges need to look professional and contain the right information. Digital credential design tools can help you create professional-looking badges while ensuring all technical specifications are met:

When it comes to design, keep it simple but professional. Your badge should be instantly recognisable but not cluttered. Include your organisation's branding, but make sure it doesn't overshadow the achievement being recognised.

The metadata is particularly important - it's the information that makes your badge verifiable and valuable. Under the Open Badges 3.0 standard, required metadata fields include:

• A clear description of what the badge represents
• The specific criteria that were met to earn it
• Your organisation's details as the issuer
• The date of issue (and expiry if applicable)
• Any unique identifiers or verification links
• Cryptographic proof of the badge's authenticity

Consider aligning your badges with industry frameworks too. For instance, if you're in cybersecurity education, you might structure your badges to reflect the NICE Framework's categories and specialty areas. This alignment with recognised standards makes your badges more valuable to learners and employers.

Remember, a well-planned badge program is an investment in your learners' future. Take the time to get these foundations right, and you'll create badges that have real meaning and value in the professional world. 91% of badge earners consider their digital credentials valuable. The Illinois Institute of Technology demonstrated this by successfully using digital badges to track and assess co-curricular involvement for accreditation requirements, showing how well-planned badges can serve multiple strategic objectives.

Step-by-Step Creation Process

Choosing Your Platform

When selecting a digital badge platform, there's quite a bit to think about - but don't worry, we'll break it down into manageable chunks.

The most important things to look for in a platform are security features, ease of use, and integration capabilities.

Your platform should support the Open Badges 3.0 standard, which ensures consistent metadata and allows users to combine badges from multiple issuers into a unified collection that can be easily verified.

Look for platforms that offer integration capabilities using APIs and plugins, especially if you need to connect with Learning Management Systems (LMS) or other educational tools. This flexibility will be crucial as your digital badge programme grows.

For costs, consider not just the initial price but also factors like how many badges you'll issue monthly and what support you'll need. Most platforms offer tiered pricing based on volume, so it's worth thinking about your long-term needs.

Creating Your First Badge

Once you've chosen your platform, creating your first badge is straightforward. Modern digital credential designers offer drag-and-drop interfaces with complete customisation options, making the process intuitive even for beginners.

The visual design is important - your badge should be clear and professional. Most platforms offer templates to get you started, but remember these key design principles:

• Use high-contrast colour combinations like blue and white or green and yellow for accessibility
• Create badges at 600x600 pixels with 300 DPI for optimal quality
• Save in PNG format with a transparent background
• Include your organisation's logo, achievement icon, clear text, and a clean border

The metadata is crucial - this is the information that makes your badge meaningful and ensures it meets Open Badge 3.0 standards. You'll need to include:

• Badge name and description
• Clear achievement criteria
• Evidence requirements
• Issuer information
• Issue date and expiry date (if applicable)
• Associated skills and competencies

Before launching, always test your badge thoroughly. Check how it displays across different platforms like LinkedIn and various devices to ensure a consistent experience for all recipients. This is particularly important as digital credentials are increasingly used by hiring managers to verify qualifications in one place.

Implementation

Setting up your workflow is the final step, and it's vital to get this right as it will form the foundation of your entire digital badge programme.

Start by defining clear criteria and assessment methods for badge issuance. Many institutions use frameworks like Competency-Based Education (CBE) to ensure consistency and maintain high standards.

Your notification templates should be clear and professional. Include:

• Congratulations message
• Instructions for claiming the badge
• Information about sharing options
• Support contact details

For quality assurance, create a checklist that includes:

• Metadata verification
• Mobile display checks
• Integration testing with your LMS
• Recipient notification confirmation
• Badge pathway verification (if using badge sequences)

Remember to set up a clear verification process. When recipients upload their badges to their profiles, the platform will automatically parse the metadata and verify its authenticity, ensuring the legitimacy of their credentials. This verification process, often enhanced by blockchain technology, is what gives digital badges their power as trusted credentials in the professional world.

Badge Management

Managing digital badges might sound technical, but it's actually quite straightforward when you break it down.

Think of it as running a digital award system - there are just a few key things to keep track of to make sure everything runs smoothly.

Issuer Responsibilities

If you're issuing badges, there are four main things you need to stay on top of.

First up is making sure your verification system is working properly. This means regularly checking that all your badges can be instantly verified when someone wants to check their authenticity. Many platforms now use blockchain technology for this, creating an immutable record that makes verification instant and tamper-proof.

You'll also want to review your badge criteria periodically. Are your badges still reflecting the current skills and achievements they're meant to represent? The tech world moves quickly, so what was cutting-edge last year might be basic knowledge now.

Then there's keeping your badges up to date. This could mean refreshing the design, updating the descriptions, or adjusting the requirements as standards evolve. It's crucial to maintain compliance with the Open Badges standard (maintained by IMS Global/1EdTech), which requires badges to include essential metadata such as:

• Issuer details
• Recipient information
• Issue date
• Earning criteria

Lastly, you need to manage recipient support. This means being ready to help if someone has trouble claiming their badge or needs to understand how to share it. Many institutions set up comprehensive FAQ systems and help documentation covering common issues like badge issuance, verification, and technical problems.

Recipient Experience

Now, let's look at it from the badge earner's perspective.

When someone earns a badge, they'll get an email with a link to claim it. It's a simple process - click the link, create an account if they don't have one, and the badge is theirs.

Once claimed, recipients have several powerful options for showcasing their achievements:

• Store it in their digital credential profile where it's always accessible, including offline access through mobile apps
• Share it on LinkedIn with one click (it'll show up as a verified credential) by uploading the badge image and including the verification link
• Add it to their email signature using HTML code to ensure proper display and verification
• Include it in their CV, making it easy for employers to verify their achievements
• Embed it on their personal website or portfolio with verification links intact

The beauty of digital badges is that they're not just images - they carry verified information about the skills and achievements they represent. When someone clicks on a shared badge, they can see exactly what the recipient learned or accomplished to earn it. In fact, 97% of U.S. recruiters prefer candidates with verified credentials, making them a powerful tool for career advancement.

Security is at the heart of modern digital badging. Each time a badge is shared or displayed, the blockchain technology behind it ensures it can't be tampered with or copied. Modern credential wallets use blockchain networks to create secure, decentralised storage systems that prevent fraud and ensure credential integrity.

Your badge recipients can also track all their badges in one place, building up a digital portfolio of their professional development over time. They can access their credentials through mobile solutions that include QR codes for easy third-party verification. These credentials not only help secure employment but also provide career longevity through continued education and skill development.

Keeping these aspects of badge management running smoothly means everyone benefits - issuers can maintain the value of their credentials, and recipients can easily showcase their achievements in ways that really count.

Measuring Success

Getting your digital badges up and running is only half the battle - you need to know if they're actually making a difference.

Here's how to track your digital badge program's success without getting lost in a sea of numbers.

Badge Adoption Metrics

First up, let's look at the essential numbers that show whether people are actually engaging with your badges.

Key metrics to track:

• Number of badges issued per month
• Percentage of eligible recipients who claim their badges
• Time between issuing and claiming badges
• Number of badges displayed on professional profiles
• Completion rates for badge requirements
• Number of users with multiple badges
• Traffic generated by badge views

These numbers give you a clear picture of whether your badges are gaining traction and if your community is actively participating in the program.

Recipient Engagement Rates

The real value of digital badges shows up in how people interact with them. Monitoring engagement rates helps you understand if your badges are truly making an impact on professional development and recognition. Each badge comes with a unique shareable URL, making it easy for recipients to showcase their achievements across various platforms.

Platform Performance Indicators

Your digital badge platform should be making life easier, not harder. Modern platforms like VerifyEd offer comprehensive analytics dashboards that automatically track technical performance metrics crucial for maintaining user satisfaction and program effectiveness.

Critical technical aspects to monitor:

• Average time to create and issue badges
• System uptime and reliability
• Number of technical support requests
• Badge verification success rates
• integration performance with LMS and HR systems
• Verification response times

Stakeholder Feedback Collection

Numbers tell part of the story, but you need to hear from the people actually using your badges. Regular stakeholder feedback collection helps identify improvement areas and ensures your program remains relevant.

Effective feedback channels include:

• Quick pulse surveys after badge issuance
• annual comprehensive feedback forms
• Focus groups with different user types
• Open feedback channels for continuous improvement
• Participant satisfaction surveys
• Self-assessment tools for skill development

Make sure you're hearing from both badge issuers and recipients - they often have different perspectives on what's working and what isn't.

ROI Assessment Framework

Here's a straightforward way to measure your return on investment, comparing costs against tangible benefits:

Remember to review these metrics quarterly and adjust your badge program based on what the data tells you. Avoid getting caught up in vanity metrics - focus on indicators that show real engagement and value for your organisation and badge recipients.

A successful badge program isn't static - it evolves with your needs and those of your recipients. Consider setting up a dedicated review committee to evaluate program effectiveness annually and make strategic adjustments based on comprehensive data analysis.

Easy Digital Badges: Your Path to Modern Credentials

Throughout my research into digital badges, I've seen how they're transforming the way we recognise and verify skills. What started as a simple concept has evolved into a powerful tool for professional development and education.

The key is to keep it straightforward - start small, focus on quality, and build from there. Whether you're an organisation looking to modernise your credentials or an individual exploring new ways to showcase your achievements, I hope this guide helps you take that first step into digital badging.