Why QR codes will disappear as a marketing tool unless they stop sucking | Hacker News Reader

Why QR codes will disappear as a marketing tool unless they stop sucking

h30565.www3.hp.com

4 pointsasteroid7 comments

I've done some work with QR codes and I can tell you the reason they aren't taking off and it's because right now they're a pain in the ass. First, a user has to even know e that they are. Then they have to install an app just to read them.

Google and Apple need to build dynamic QR recognition into the native camera apps or the technology is never going to get off the ground.

shameless plug I created http://flyerme.info as a tool to create simple posters with QR codes in them.

I'd have advertised it more aggressively / put it on better infrastructure but AdSense declared it unfit for ads.

Microsoft's HCCBs absolutely will not be replacing QR codes due to the fact that they are not an encoding format, only an arbitrary set of colored triangles which are sent to Microsoft's servers which then returns a result. There are far too many risks and barriers to that system for it to succeed over QR, especially with QR's lead.

>Microsoft's HCCBs absolutely will not be replacing QR codes due to the fact that they are not an encoding format

Exactly. It requires that microsoft's servers always be reachable (laughable for something you scan with your smartphone), online (this will eventually die), returning the correct data, and they get to harvest statistics.

All that, for zero gain?

I agree with the author's point about QR codes mostly leading to advertising. When QR codes first became popular, I was snapping pictures of everything to get a glimpse of the fascinating world hidden behind these squares. Now I just think it's going to lead to yet another pitch to separate me from my money, so they mostly go ignored. I also agree that in our fast-paced world, the QR standard is likely to be a lot more ephemeral than people might think (even if the Microsoft solution is not a worthy successor).

I think most of the author's other points are fairly weak.

Say, inventing a new encoding that looks snazzy but is still recognizable as a code sounds like a cool side project. If only there were more hours in a day. :)

It seems to be more "Erp, I don't understand... so I hate it.", than "Well, I know exactly what I'm talking about, so I'm going to give you a lesson."

Well, the article is well written, covers most bases, and shows the author knows what she's talking about. Have you read TFA? There is no part where she sounds like she doesn't understand.

Not to mention the fact that there's nothing much to understand about QR codes in the first place, and the fact that the article focuses on the usability / market viability side of things and not the technical side.

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