QR (Quick Response) codes are easily generated, easy to use and free to virtually all modern mobile devices with a camera. They can store hundreds of times more info than standard bar codes, and are mainstream in Japan. Yet even though they’ve been around since 1994, widespread use of them in the USA is less than impressive, both in availability and quality of information provided.
When you see a book or magazine ad that offers a random QR code in the corner of the page, there’s a good chance that code will take you to the very un-mobile friendly company home page that offers you absolutely no specific information that makes you glad you took the time to scan the code in the first place. It’s not that placing a URL in a QR code is always unhelpful, but providing useful information on a mobile-specific page in context to the message would be much more valuable. If users make the effort to scan a code, they expect to be rewarded for their time. Unfortunately, the lack of rewarding “treats” offered to scanners is not only promoting boring or frustrating user experiences, but could be allowing the QR code to die a slow and miserable death.
The potential for the information treats that QR codes can offer has been demonstrated in company marketing, guerrilla marketing, and street art. In a historic district of Manhattan, large QR codes were placed on buildings that not only served as physical district borders, but also provided the added bonus of providing pictures from 50 years ago of the same city scene the user is seeing from his location. Historical monuments and museums are taking advantage of their visitors’ mobile devices, displaying QR codes that offer guided video tours. Many successful viral campaigns are based on hiding a QR code in a poster or video, or discovering codes posted all over the city, offering various clues for a curious public to attempt to figure out. (Please comment with your favorite QR examples – love to see them!)
Wouldn’t it be great if QR codes turned out to be the true Easter eggs of this decade, where mobile users scan them in eager anticipation of receiving a fun information treat from a well thought-out campaign?
Agree…QR codes are greatly under utilized and/or mis-guided. I think that the purpose for placing a QR code and the means/context of the result of a QR code haven’t really been addressed much in the states outside of marketing & advertising. You make a great point with the QR code use on historic buildings and in museums to give the user more information about their location/point of interest. I think the use of QR codes for “selective” geo-location applications where the user can get that info in the context of their location and “mobility” (ie: not serving up a landing page in the mobile browser). I love the application of QR codes for use with transit, where a user can get the bus schedule, like they have in Seoul http://www.beqrious.com/show/bus-stop-qr-codes-hit-seoul. I think it could also have good use with “coupon” style advertising/marketing (ie: go to a Rockies game, scan the QR code at the pavillion, get a discount code for your next online purchase of Rockies gear).
I also wonder about how QR codes will fit into some of the other technologies like Near Field Communications (NFC) and also Google Goggles (maybe a logo is the qr code?).
Thanks for the rickroll -I should have known better than to scan that…