Towards a Refined Architecture for Socio-Technical Decentralized Identity(DID) Services

Hwajeong Hwang¹MinJung Park²Hyunyoung Oh³Sangmi Chai^1,4*

• ¹Ewha Women's University School of Business, Seoul, Republic of Korea
• ²Kumoh National Institute of Technology, Gumi-si, Republic of Korea
• ³Gachon University, Seongnam-si, Republic of Korea
• ⁴Ewha Womans University Ewha Institute for the Humanities, Seodaemun-gu, Republic of Korea

Digital identity technology is emerging as a foundational infrastructure for individuals and society, driven by escalating incidents of identity theft, account hacking, and large-scale personal data breaches. According to Gartner (2024), tThese security and privacy concerns are accelerating the global shift toward secure, user-centric identity management systems, with blockchain-based Decentralized Identity (DID) models at the foreforntforefront. The accelerating adoption of artificial intelligence and the escalating risks of identity theft and large-scale data breaches have intensified global demand for secure, privacy-preserving digital identity solutions. Blockchain-based Decentralized Identity (DID) services, groundedrootedgrounded in the principles of Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI), are increasingly recognized as a foundational technology for safeguarding personal data and enabling user-controlled identity management. However, existing DID research and implementations remain predominantly technology-focused, often overlooking socio-technical factors such as governance, usability, and stakeholder trust. This study proposes an STS-based (Socio-Technical Systems) framework to guide the practical and scalable adoption of DID services, integrating both social components (e.g., governance, sustainability, user-centric design) and technical components (e.g., decentralization, privacy preservation, interoperability, security). Using an integrative research review methodology, the framework was developed through systematic analysis of global standards, industry cases, and academic literature, and validated by a multidisciplinary expert panel. Building on this framework, we introduce a Refined DID Service Architecture optimized for enterprise-level deployment, incorporating privacy-preserving mechanisms at the infrastructure level, consensus-based governance, and standardized UI/UX guidelines. The proposed architecture addresses key barriers to adoption—such as interoperability gaps, regulatory inconsistencies, and limited user engagement—while ensuring scalability and compliance with global standards. The study contributes to both theory and practice by (1) framing DID as a socio-technical system, (2) providing an actionable evaluation framework for developers, regulators, and service providers, and (3) offering a globally adaptable architecture that balances technological robustness with social acceptance.