IDNCODE

Blockchain-Based Certificate Validation System

Role: Head of Product

Company: EH Corp

Product Type: B2B SaaS + Blockchain Infrastructure

Market: Education, Certification, Verification

Status: Live · ~100,000 certificates issued

📌 Third-party validator (non-government), working with public & private universities in Indonesia

① Overview

💡 What is IDNCODE?

IDNCODE is a certificate validation platform that helps Indonesian universities prevent fraud and enable instant verification of academic certificates.

We act as a trusted third-party validator, securing certificates using:

• QR codes (offline & online)

• Blockchain (NFT minting on Polygon / Ethereum ecosystem)

Each printed certificate includes an IDNCODE QR, allowing employers or institutions to verify authenticity instantly.

🔹 IDNCODE are not a government system — trust is built through technology, transparency, and adoption.

② The Problem Space

🔴 Real-World Problems

Universities

• Manual verification requests

• High admin workload

• Reputation risk from forged certificates

Employers / HR

• Slow verification process

• No standard validation method

• Low trust in printed documents

Students

• Delays during recruitment

• Certificates questioned or rejected

❌ Why Existing Solutions Failed

⚠️ The real challenge was adoption, cost predictability, and trust — not technology.

③ Product Constraints (Critical)

⚠️ These constraints shaped every product decision

Regulatory & Market

• IDNCODE is not official government and we collaborating with DIKTI

• Must be trusted as a neutral validator

• Must work across public & private universities

Technical

• Each certificate = NFT mint → gas fee

• Each crypto top-up = transaction fee

• QR must work offline & online

Business

• Students will not accept extra fees

• Universities have fixed budgets

• Graduation volumes vary significantly

④ Product Architecture (Simplified)

🧱 How the system works

Certificate Lifecycle

1. University issues certificate via IDNCODE CMS

2. QR code generated with embedded metadata

3. Metadata synced to NFT on Polygon

4. QR embedded into printed certificate

5. Verification via:

   • Online scan (blockchain validation)

   • Offline scan (metadata integrity)

🖼 :

⑤ Multi-Stakeholder UX Challenge

🧠 One product, many users

👉 Designing for all users at once was the hardest part.

⑥ University Reality (Key Insight)

🚨 No two universities are the same

• Each university has custom certificate designs

• Different formats for S1, S2, S3

• Engineering certificates differ from non-engineering

• Requires manual approvals (dean, rector)

❌ A single global template was impossible

✅ We designed flexibility instead of standardization

⑦ Major Product Decision — Pricing Model

🔥 This was the most controversial decision

❌ Rejected Models

• Per-certificate pricing

• Subscription

• White-label licensing

Why They Failed

• Cost anxiety due to gas fees

• Didn’t align with graduation cycles

• Reduced adoption confidence

✅ Final Decision: Top-Up Model

Universities:

• Buy credits upfront

• Use credits during graduation periods

• Top up as needed

💬 Pricing became part of the user experience.

🖼 Visual to add:

Pricing comparison table (Before vs After)

⑧ CMS Dashboard — University SaaS

🧩 What universities actually get

Certificate Management

• Custom certificate designs

• Faculty-specific layouts

• Bulk generation

• Print-ready outputs

Security & Control

• Revoke certificates

• Trackback history

• Admin permissions

Analytics (CX Value)

• Scan count

• Gender & age range

• Device & location

• Data-mining ready

🖼 Visual to add:

Dashboard screenshots

⑨ Onboarding & Adoption Friction

⚠️ Adoption ≠ Plug & Play

Each onboarding required:

• Certificate design alignment

• Print testing

• QR placement validation

• Approval from dean / rector

• Middleware integration

Our Solution

• Flexible middleware

• University-controlled design

• CMS adapts to each institution

🎯 Slower onboarding → higher long-term adoption

⑩ Offline & Online Verification (Trust Layer)

Why Offline Matters

• Internet access is inconsistent

• HR may scan certificates offline

Our Approach

• QR contains critical metadata

• Offline scan validates integrity

• Online scan verifies blockchain

Trust does not depend on connectivity.

⑪ Results & Impact

📊 Current Metrics

• ~100,000 certificates issued

• Multiple universities onboarded

• 0 reported successful forgeries

• 100% adoption of top-up model

CX Impact

• Faster employer verification

• Reduced admin workload

• Higher institutional trust

⑫ Roadmap & Expansion

Near Term

• API for HR / ATS systems

• Automated employer validation

• Enhanced analytics

Long Term

• Professional certifications

• Training institutions

• Government-adjacent credentials

IDNCODE evolves into credential infrastructure, not just certificates.

⑬ Reflection — Head of Product

🧠 Key learnings

• CX includes pricing & governance

• Trust must be designed

• Flexibility beats standardization

• Adoption > elegance

This project reflects my role as Head of Product, balancing:

technology × business × human behavior

⭐ Why This Case Matters

This case demonstrates my ability to:

• Lead under real constraints

• Design CX in regulated environments

• Align business models with user reality

• Build scalable systems without forcing uniformity