The User contract template currently looks like this:
template User with
username: Party
following: [Party]
where
signatory username
observer following
I remember that this field name was already there in the very early versions of this template, when we didn’t have the concept of Daml participant users or the Alias contract which makes it possible to map real-life names to the Daml parties.
The username field name was incorrect already that time, because its content is a party id, not a name. Now that we have two additional related concepts, it’s all the way more necessary to fix it.
I don’t like the following field name either but I don’t have such a strong argument to change it. It just forces me to think who is following whom. Maybe followedParties or something like this would be easier to understand.