Dear Marketers: Enough with the QR codes | Hacker News Reader

Dear Marketers: Enough with the QR codes

sheldoncomics.com

146 pointskposehn148 comments

I think this boils down to the basic rule: don't disrespect your audience.

I keep going to meetings where people suggest using QR codes to advertise a product. And I ask the obvious question: when have you ever scanned a QR code and learned about/bought something? No one can ever answer. But there's a vague sense that somewhere, out there, "those people" are using QR codes.

What's funny is no one seems to know who this is. Among the hip, young, techy people at a startup, it is assumed QR codes are for technically-illiterate old people who don't know what a URL is. Among well-dressed, professional adults, it is assumed they are for all the young, hip people with their smartphone addictions.

I assume someone uses QR codes, but I don't know who, and I don't see why they are popping up in so many places.

I think QR codes have a place. But I don't think advertisers know where that place is yet. QR codes on products I may buy -> bad, terrible, everything this comic describes.

But if it happens to be an event (free concert in the park, grand opening of awesome new store, whatever) and it's on a poster somewhere about town, I like this, cuz maybe I'll be like, "hmm, blues fest sounds like fun, lemme just scan this in, and I'll have all the deets for it on my phone.

If it's a QR code on my bottled water, well that's just a waste of space.

Disclaimer: This is tangential to the scope of what the comic was complaining about.

Bottled water may be a waste because water is pretty indistinguishable from its competitors outside of visual design of the product container, but not everything is so generic. I bought a bag of granola the other day that had a QR code on the back that I thought worked well.

As I idly sat at my breakfast table last week, I was reading the back of the bag and thought "this stuff is pretty damn good, I wonder what their QR code does?" I scanned it and was sent to their site where they displayed their entire product line, leading me to discover a different variety of their product I wanted to try (and have since purchased). Since I was groggy and not feeling very interactive at 6am, the bag of granola probably couldn't have convinced me to type in a URL into my phone no matter how tasty their product was, so I'd say their QR code worked (typing URLs is comparatively a lot of work compared to two taps of my phone to scan QRs)

As a product discovery mechanism I think they're probably ok, especially for existing customers that may like your brand but may not know everything about you. I don't think they'd be great on billboards or television ads, but as part of a product label design, I think it's a great way to provide more information to the consumer than would otherwise fit in that space.

I find them quite convenient, and prefer using my smartphone to photograph a QR code than trying to tap out some arbitrary URL.

when have you ever scanned a QR code and learned about/bought something?

Shopping for dishwashers in-store, even after doing lots of online research. The in-store display tags have very minimal info. Best Buy has/had a QRCode on each product that took you to a webpage for that item with a lot more info, reviews, etc. It was one of the main reasons I actually bought a dishwasher AT Best Buy instead of elsewhere.

That is a good use for them. Recently I saw one on a company's van which just baffled my mind. I don't know if they wanted somebody to come up while the van was parked and scan the QR code but it was just stupid and goes in line with what the article is saying.

My favorite New York subway ad (besides Zizmor) is something like "Have bedbugs?" and it offers you some "bedbugs apps" if you scan it, which is great because:

1. I've recently been looking for a good way to let a crowded train know that I probably have bedbugs on my clothing.

2. Internet access is really good underground.

I'm afraid I can top you in "worst use of QR on underground travel" (this one in London): https://p.twimg.com/AneZAsiCAAATy1Q.jpg:large

They never learn... Some time ago (early/mid 90s I think) there was a particular problem with pickpockets in the Kings Cross area so an awareness campaign was started with similar posters. The problem got worse. Why? Often people walking past the posters would, consciously or otherwise, check the pockets their wallet or other valuables were in - this helped improve an observant pick-pocket's hit rate.

I know what I'm going to do in Chicago! I'll buy an ad like that near one of the CTA platforms and stand around it and as people come by and try to scan it, I'll pick their wallets.

yeah, I work with text messaging, i.e. "text XXXX to #####" and while I love seeing it places, when I see it on the train I say wtf? But I guess people can draft the message and send it when they go above ground? I wonder if that is the same for QR codes on the train....

Wouldn't it have bee just as effective to have

http://bestbuy.com/12345 on the label.

They should do both. If you've got QR capabilities, it's quicker to scan a bunch of codes rather than enter each URL.

If you have a reader app on your phone scanning the QR code is a bit faster than typing in a url, especially if your doing repeatedly for multiple products.

I still think they are overused, but they can offer a little extra connivence, as long as they aren't taking up too much space.

Not really because then I have to type a bunch of characters instead of just clicking a button.

QR Codes are nice macros, in the right places. They don't necessarily belong on every uncovered surface, but in many cases they can transfer a relatively large amount of data quickly and easily.

I think we're still figuring out QR Codes and the proper applications of them. I remember usenet discussions in 1996 asking "Why did Ford put a URL in their commercial? Why do I need/want that? What do I do with it?"...

I guess I'm old and inept, but I've never gotten a QR code to scan properly with a "click of a button."

Odd. I've never had any trouble scanning them, even on my old G1. The camera on that thing had trouble with normal UPCs at times.

I think there should just be a font and border standard that is easily isolated and orc'd. That would make the human readable url and the device scannable URL one in the the same.

But I realized something about QR codes. Though they can contain any text, the vast majority of the time they're URLs. But they're not just base URLs. They contain query variables that people couldn't be bothered to type in, but which let the advertiser know which exact code (or which print run at least) was scanned.

I think their QR codes us a URL shortening service like http://bby.us/12345.

usually this is for tracking and/or to redirect the page to a different url if their are changes. it is always best to use QR code management and tracking software than to use a direct link in the ad, because if you've printed 10,000 copies or are in national print ads and the site changes, you could be screwed....

The better replacement will just be NFC once it becomes popular.

No, it won't. NFC is (and will be) more expensive than just printing a label. It also gives no benefit to the user compared to scanning a code. User has to take the phone, and get it close to the reader, just as with NFC.

1. My understanding is that the user won't have to fumble to launch a reader app (and then aim the phone at, as with QR codes), as proximity to the NFC tag will trigger an event on the phone.

2. NFC tags won't be as efficient if you are tagging individual devices (e.g. all inventory on a store shelf), but for tagging stationary things (e.g. the appliance displays at Best Buy) they will work better, even if they cost a bit more.

For me here's the difference:

URL: Turn on phone, swipe right to unlock, press search button, type url, press enter.

QR: Turn on phone, swipe up to open QR reader, point phone.

Yes, I'm one of those rare people who not only scans QR codes, but does it enough to bother making it one of the three actions he can take from his lockscreen (Camera, QR, Unlock)

But that's not an example of using QR codes for advertising. It's an actual, useful application of them, yes, but it is so precisely because they're not being used for marketing.

I've seen a lot of replies to this of the form "how about they use [URLs/NFC/etc.]", but how are those options at all better than printing out all the product specs?

Surely having the specifications printed out and mounted in an emplacement next to the product is better than having to scan/touch/type some sort of digital tag.

If it is about paper use, how about they stop using flip books full of paper numbers set next to each other to display prices before worrying about replacing some measly product spec sheets with QR codes.

(EDIT: reviews are definitely a fair use of this sort of thing, and I had forgotten that they were a thing while replying.)

That is exactly how they should be used: to give more detail once the user decides they want/need that detail.

They are used all over the place in Japan (where IIRC the QR code's popularity started) for non-sales related information like bus timetables as well as for access to detailed product information in shops. In both these use cases the QR code directing to a web page with up-to-date information is a benefit to the user rather than an advertising gimmick.

QR codes are done wrong in a great many adverts.

I've seen adverts with QR codes where is isn't entirely obvious what is even being advertised: sorry, I'm not wasting my time waiting for your information to come down what could be a slow mobile connection unless there is a good chance I'm going to care. You advert should make me want more detail, not expect me to make an effort to get basic detail.

The two times I bothered scan a QR code on an advert were failures from the advertisers PoV. One went to a page that was simply not useable on a small mobile device (remember: there are plenty of phones out there with QVGA screens and that site was unusable at half VGA) and would have taken an age to download if the user was stuck on a GPRS link due to lack of 3G+ reception. I closed the browser and thought nothing more of it. The other time I was taken to a registration page where I was asked for some of my details in order to get the data - if I scan a QR code I expect to go direct to relevant information, not to be asked for my personal details (I could have oput in fake details easily, but I should not have to go to even that effort). If you must have a registration form on the page, put it below the detail the user is expecting to find.

I do barcode scanning on the Amazon app far more than I scan QRs. Handy to be able to check reviews and competing prices while I'm at the store.

> When have you ever scanned a QR code and learned about/bought something?

Saturday I used a QR code when I was in a store, trying to get more details on a grill I was thinking of buying. I guess it worked, because I got more information and got the grill.

I laughed when QR codes came out, but can think of more than just that instance when I started using them. QR codes are ugly, but their success relies on them being a path to information that has real value to the target audience.

I agree that's a nice use case (to get details about a grill in a store), but it's not an example of advertising.

Even for that use case, QR codes seem like an interim solution, while we wait for better recognition apps (photo [of object or tag] -> recognition software -> search -> detailed info about object). An example of this is the Google Goggles app (which is not to be confused with Google Glass):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Goggles

That's a good point. There's not much real use for a QR code being on a billboard/or vehicle. Also, I think QR codes will have their day, then be replaced by superior technology.

What's the store's purpose then if you have to go online while being physically present to get more product info?

Was there no knowledgeable staff? No product flyers/labels?

> What's the store's purpose?

It's really just a warehouse where I could pick up my merchandise.

> Was there no knowledgeable staff?

No, and That's certainly not the trend these days. I did ask an associate if I could just take the assembled grill to the cash register (and I could).

Your comment made me think about the real purpose of brick-and-mortar stores in the age of Amazon. In this case, the big-box retailer served as merely a display room for me to physically inspect the product and a place for me to take immediate delivery of the product. All the information gathering can be done by me, using the information on the box, or through my mobile device (with the QR code being the relevant portion of this discussion).

> No product flyers/labels?

If used properly, a QR code (or whatever vector allows me to find information online) can provide much more information than labels or flyers.

Every time I am in a meeting about QR codes I share this: http://wtfqrcodes.com/ We all have a good laugh and then somehow, no one wants to suggest QR codes anymore.

Well, just a few days ago I was trying the new system in our apartment complex where we can use a credit card to add value to the smart card that is used in the local washer and drier systems. I had to type in the url to get it going. Well, I used the smartphone keyboard and got it in with a minimal number of typos which I quickly corrected, but you know what? If they had a QR code that I could scan, it would be just a couple of taps and a couple of seconds and much, much more convenient.

I assume someone uses QR codes, but I don't know who, and I don't see why they are popping up in so many places.

They live in Japan. QRs are very old news there. I couldn't really tell more (I've never been to Japan) but this must be it. Anyone with ground level expertise?

I can confirm this, they are everywhere and people seem to like them.

Eg, I was handed a flyer for a random nightclub with a QR code on it for cheap entry. You just scanned the QR code then showed your mobile at the door for a discount. This was 5 years ago too (Tokyo, Shinjuku/Shibuya).

How is that better than just showing the flyer at the door to get the discount?

They can track response rates for particular flyers by pointing them at different URLs. Measurable A/B testing for physical advertising.

They can print A/B versions of flyers and collect them upon entry. No QR needed for this kind of measuring. :)

because you're likely to lose the flyer, and it's a PITA to carry it around. You're always gonna keep your mobile though.

Westside Rentals uses them on their displays in LA and I've often used the QR code to check out the details of the listing when walking by in Santa Monica.

Poster in my train station: "Our timetables are being updated. Scan these QR codes to download them to your phone."

Below that were eight pictures of timetables, showing their color-coded covers so you could identify them from the paper timetable you might already have, with a QR code on each one. Below those were instructions on how to download a QR code reader if you didn't have one already.

QR codes for info are awesome.

I actually use QR codes a lot... but never in marketing situations (my office has them for internal links around the building).

It depends on your target demographic: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/310173

Well, I don't think QR codes are inherently offensive, and if some people use them, why not? I would only say that it's a bad idea if the only point of ref on it is a QR code, but if a typed out website name is included, what could it hurt? I'm also solely talking about QR codes in advertising.

I scanned one once, but it was to learn more about a museum exhibit. :)

My personal favorite was when I found one on a banana sticker. I didn't try it, though.

This is one of my favorite tumblrs: http://picturesofpeoplescanningqrcodes.tumblr.com/

it took me far too long to get the joke

lol

ah, thank you. Always been confused by this.

how can your favorite tumblr be empty?

whoosh

Japan has been using QR codes respectfully, and usefully, for years now.

People don't scan them in the US because most people don't seem to have a clue what they are. If we spend any freaking time educating the public about what they are and how to use them ( and stopped using those damn proprietary variants) then we'd see a lot of value come out of them.

You don't like QR codes? Fine, then give me some %#$%@$ alternative that allows me to get people from the print version of my stuff to the online version without them having to type in some long string of characters on a weeeee little phone keyboard that everyone makes typos on constantly.

Until someone comes up with a better alternative, maybe we should stop railing against them and start learning how to use them intelligently and respectfully, while making it easy for our audience to consume them.

Telling a spectacular story, as the comic suggests, wouldn't get people to my site nearly as well as a button on the paper that they could reach down and push.

QR codes aren't doing a great job of getting people their either, because instead of educating people about how useful they are and what to do with them, we're letting marketers use them without a freaking clue, while the clueful sit around bitching about them without offering any good alternative.

In Japan they use them for useful stuff - scan one at a bus stop to get a real-time map of where the bus is.

In the US (so far) they have been used for crap - "scan this to see MORE advertising from us!!!!"

"If we spend any freaking time educating the public about what they are and how to use them"

The problem is that people will not learn a new technology to engage with an ad.

If Facebook has been started with a ton brands and no people, and the advertisers kept putting 'hey like us on facebook!' in their ads, no one would have ever joined Facebook. Instead brands came to Facebook because that's what people were already using.

If there was some utility to QR codes that got people using them outside of ads, then they might also work on ads. But right now, ads are basically the only place they appear, so no one is going to go through the effort to learn about them.

> then give me some %#$%@$ alternative that allows me to get people from the print version of my stuff to the online version

I think a plain URL printed with some agreed OCR-friendly font would do the job much better than the ugly, unfriendly, redundant and unintuitive QR bars.

Do you have a really good OCR app that's 99.9% reliable? Or are you suggesting a non-existent solution to a problem that already has a solution?

searching for keywords seems to work quite well.

I think the problem is that for people that have problems navigating the web to start with, using QR codes will be tougher than just suing the search bar on their iPhone etc

Why is is so cool to hate on QR codes lately? I've heard Merlin Mann and Marco Arment rag on them pretty often on their podcasts. I don't get it. No matter how ugly, it's still a better way for me to get to your website/app from a physical item (bottle of wine, print ad, whatever) than having me type out a URL....sure they are stuck a bunch of places that make them ugly or inconvenient to actually read....but so are URLs and phone numbers. I'm way more likely to scan a code than open a browser and type out a URL or even worse make a note/take a picture to remember to look something up later, there's pretty much no chance at all that I will call a phone number if that's all that is listed. The code (when implemented properly) takes me directly to what I want with almost zero effort on my part.

But I may be some kind of weirdo, I think think QR codes are kinda cool looking anyway, at least more so than (800)-999-9999 or http://www.foo.bar

I don't understand all of the hate either.

ComScore releases a lot of stats about QR code usage and people actually do use them quite a bit. I find them useful, especially when the alternative is typing in a URL that's 100 characters long.

There are ads encouraging you to type 100 character urls?

Karma-whoring, pure and simple. You can always get upvotes (facebook likes, pageviews) for being cantankerous.

Yeah, pretty funny how that comic was ragging on QR codes and marketers, yet the whole page was half covered by advertisements.

Once something becomes ubiquitous, the complaints about it being overused or misused become similarly common - and as someone has already pointed out you can always get upvotes/likes/what-ever if people agree or just if you moan in an amusing manner.

I scan QR codes regularly and find them incredibly useful. Poster about something I might be interested in? Instead of typing error-prone-fully on my stupid tiny keyboard, I point, scan, check the URL looks sane, then go to the web site. Sometimes I take a photo and deal with it later.

Please, don't take away features I like and use just because you think no one uses them.

Instead of hating on them so much, show how genuinely clever you are and figure a way to make use of the technology, otherwise you're just like a eunuch in a harem, pointing, observing, and criticizing, without actually being able to do anything.

I think a lot of hate comes from the fact that I've never encountered a QR code where I couldn't have typed in the URL on my stupid-tiny keyboard faster than the time it took for the QR app to scan the code.

I'm curious if this means my phone has a terrible camera or if yours has a terrible keyboard. Probably both.

It's the error-pronedness - clicks are far easier. Can you always type a lengthy URL without any mistakes or having to make corrections?

Plus, I can't read a poster and a phone without constantly changing whether I'm looking through glasses or not. I type pretty well, but the scan wins every time.

Added in edit: I really, really don't understand the downvotes. I'm offering a point of view as to why QR codes are easier for me. Is your downvote saying that I'm wrong? Is your downvote saying that it's irrelevant? Is your downvote saying that only people who hate QR codes can be tolerated? Is your downvote saying your mind is closed to other points of view? Help me to understand!

It took me 28 seconds to type in this sentence on my cell phone. I didn't use auto-correct, so it's a pretty good match for typing a url, if a little long. That time did include going back through to correct for errors. Comparatively, I've never seen a QR code scan in under a minute, either on my own phone or on one from my friends, family, and coworkers.

I could see the glasses thing being a pain.

Running a timer on my desktop, I've just timed pulling my phone from my pocket and scanned a bar code, one handed. Including getting the phone out it took 19 seconds, without any possibility of getting it wrong.

And yes, the glasses thing is a pain, one of the disadvantages of getting old. 8-(

19 seconds? I may have to give QR codes another shot.

I just did it again - yes - 19 seconds. This time I was more leisurely, but already had my phone "home page" open. Click on apps, open menu, scan to bottom, up one, click. Point, focus, open.

Start: Mon Jun 18 23:18:19 BST 2012

End: Mon Jun 18 23:18:38 BST 2012

So you saved 9 seconds.

Think about how much time it takes to find the app, download the app, learn the app, remember the app and use the app. My guess is 100x longer than all of the times you will ever use QR codes put together.

That right there is your problem.

It's on my phone in an obvious place, and I use it a lot. I couldn't type URLs in sub 30 seconds, so it's saving me much more tham a few seconds every time.

And it's error free.

So no, that's not my problem, and I'd take it kindly if people would stopp telling me I'm wrong for finding useful something they don't agree with. Do you bother to listen to your users? Or do you just tell them they're wrong?

I think I was misinterpreted. I meant that's the problem in a general sense.

That unless QR codes are substantially quicker than manually typing a URL it will never take off. Because the fact is that people aren't typing in URLs every day.

>I've never seen a QR code scan in under a minute,

How is it taking you that long to scan QR codes?

I'm using a free barcode scanner with a fairly slow phone (LG Optimus) and I just pulled up a bunch of QR codes to scan.

Every one is done in under a second.

It takes the same amount of time for me to pull up either the keyboard or the barcode scanner, and I definitely can't type a url in under 1 second, so the scanner beats it hands down.

Benchmark against NFC though... :P

I suspect he's not talking of the time to actually scan the code, but the total time, given one code, of picking up the phone, finding the app, activating the scanner, checking the URL that it brings up, and then hitting "Go".

As I say, I do all that in about 20 seconds. Once the app is open, individual scans are very quick.

I just timed myself, from phone off on the table, to having my phone's browser loading the page in a QR code I displayed on screen. 7 seconds. Pretty much the same amount of time it would take to open the browser at all.

Just tried again after I finally bothered to set my browser as the default link handler (so I don't have to pick from a list) and set my QR app to automatically open links I scan (so I don't have to tap the link) now it's 5 seconds.

Granted, I've found myself using QR codes frequently enough that I can get from my lock screen directly to scanning a QR code by swiping up instead of right (which unlocks the phone normally). So what I actually did was press power, swipe up, point at QR code, and that's it.

Two words: URL shorteners.

That still introduces the problem of surprise, but with the space saved by not posting the QR code, you can provide context about what the URL does provide.

And riddle me: why can't your phone to OCR on a legibly-presented URL any better than it can read a QR code (yes, I know, redundancy and all that, but still).

You've said it yourself - with a shortener I've got no idea where it's going, and now I also have to type a weird, meaning-free string of upper, lower and digits.

And I don't have a reliable OCR app, and OCR doesn't have redundancy.

So it doesn't work, it's hard to type, and I don't know where it takes me. How is that better?

And at least scanning the QR code shows me the URL before opening it.

The QR code takes up enough space that context is precluded. With a short URL, there's at least the option. Mind: marketers providing context generally doesn't happen.

I suppose, client side, you've got the option of previewing the destination URL before going to it either way. Again, not that a naked URL tells you a whole lot, but at least I can see if it's a PDF, HTML doc, or EXE downloadable off the top.

I feel like this article is backwards. QR codes are still the best way to transfer from print to phone. The problem is most people are still transferring from print ad to phone ad.

My theater company uses it to send people from our poster to our ticket buying site (and let you know where the QR code goes). There's genuine utility here.

Don't throw out the useful application because so many are doing it wrong.

The issue is you're one of a few using them correctly.

Most implementations are unlabeled, no indication what it does or why I should bother.

> My theater company uses it to send people from our poster to our ticket buying site (and let you know where the QR code goes)

Can you share any numbers as to their effectiveness in real life?

Number one missed opportunity for QR-codes: "For Sale/Rent" signs. It actively annoys me that I don't have a super-low-friction way to take a closer look at a for-sale house I'm walking by.

They are starting to show up on realtor for-sale signs. There's one I drive by on my way to/from work that scanned a while back. I landed on the realtor's page about the house (which, BTW, was way out of my price range).

My last attempt to scan one of those took me to the search page not optimized for iPhone/Android on the realtor's personal site... and no clue as to how to find the house I was standing next to.

I scanned a "more info" QR code once on a commercial building rental advertisement and was amused that the result was a direct link to a PDF file that had the floor plan of the building and nothing else.

I guess I should have been happy that at least it wasn't a link to Justinsomnia. ( http://justinsomnia.org/2011/03/why-does-that-qr-code-take-m... )

I know that westsiderentals.com uses them for their signs here in LA. They have a QR code in addition to a way to use SMS to get information.

I see these all the time in Chicago. I think the only time I've ever scanned one was because I was curious as to the asking price of a house near me.

The best uses of QR codes are DEEP LINKS. Not as "mystery links", not to look modern, but to jump directly to one item in the middle of a hierarchy or a pool of options.

Check out how Tesco used QR codes in Korea to make a virtual grocery store: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJVoYsBym88

This is a great use of QR that is a mile away from the typical "scan this instead of typing two words and pressing .com" usage that is typical in the US and confuses people as to why QR even exists (as in this comic).

Especially the QR-codes that aren't QR codes. I honestly tried to scan a new style barcode that wasn't QR, that literally said below it "Please download the SomethingCode app to read this barcode."

Never have I sworn out loud so fervently at a magazine, or so quickly sworn off purchasing from that (rather large) company.

You swear at magazines and boycott a company because they ask you to download an app?

Wow. Perhaps consider anger management classes?

Home Depot had a QR code linking to a YouTube video showing how to install a garbage disposal. It was right by the product.

This seems like it would be an actual good use of a QR code, if it was specifically labeled as "Scan this to see how to install this product."

On the other hand, I just got a bill from my exterminator service. And lo and behold right there next to their address block on the invoice was their URL and an unlabeled QR code. Why in the heck would I ever bother scanning that? Having it there just screams "the owner's kid nephew said that QR codes are all the rage so we had better get one on our invoice."

I would bet that it took you to their website. Most unlabeled QR codes are just there to save you from typing.

Yes, I really hate QR codes that have no labels at all, how am I supposed to know if I want to actually read the content at the other end?

If every Android, Blackberry, and iPhone came with a universal QR code reader it MIGHT be worth it, but none of them do, so you have to provide printed material or a url anyways so there is no real reason to use them now.

But if it comes down to typing a long ass url in my phone, or pushing a button to scan a code, guess which one I'll pick. Don't impede technological progress just because "not everybody has it"

Here's how the future will be:

Long home button press.

<beep>

"Siri (or Android version, or WP12 version) , search for <whatever the thing is>"

<beep>

Then consider me loathing the future in advance.

To me, people talking out loud to their phones in public is akin to bluetooth headsets.

The technology might provide an easier way to let you do something, but you look like an idiot.

If the price I have to pay is that people like you think I'm an idiot, I'm sure I'll manage.

I am curious though, how do you distinguish between people "talking out loud to their phones", and people talking out loud to other people using their phones (ie making a phone call).

There are a lot of situations where people talking on the phone to other people is annoying and rude. I expect there's substantial overlap with the situations where people talking out loud to Siri is annoying and rude.

And for the most part those situations are not ones where the presence of QR codes would be of significant benefit.

Note that I think QR codes are great for things like airline tickets or baggage tracking tags.

How is using a qr code to get a direct link to what you need even comparable to doing a search on that object and hoping you get relevant information?

But if I'm scanning a QR code in a store next to some product or on a poster about an event, I don't want to know what Siri knows about it, or to read some non-specific page online about it. I want to know what the store or poster wants me to know.

Definitely. The first and only time I tried to scan a QR code I took a picture of it on my iPhone, realized a few seconds later that I had to install an app for it, then walked away shocked that anyone actually uses them.

That would be the ideal interface.

1) Open camera from lock screen 2) Take photo 3) If QR code is detected, offer to open it. 4) Later when browsing photos, remember it's a QR code, offer the link again, so that we can come back to it later. 5) If no QR code is detected, treat it as a normal photo.

  > If every Android, Blackberry, and iPhone came with a
  > universal QR code reader it MIGHT be worth it, but
  > none of them do, ...

My phone has a built-in QR reader, and it's one of the ones you've mentioned, so that statement is wrong.

  > ... you have to provide printed material or a url
  > anyways so there is no real reason to use them now.

Except that for those who do have a reader, you've reduced the friction for them. And it sounds like you're saying we shouldn't use new technologies just because some people don't have them yet. That's in interesting idea - it means web developers shouldn't use HTML5, or canvas, for example. Perhaps this is a good idea. Not everyone has Flash capable browsers, so we could finally kill that.

Oh, and never write something for the iPhone, because not everyone has one of those, either.

I feel the same about those silly "Pin it", "Follow me" icons on every webpage. I cannot say that it has never helped any site get more traffic but for the most part it is just monkey copying monkeys all the way down. They do nothing except make all pages look generic and cluttered. The biggest example of just doing it for the sake of it is the porn sites that use these share icons too (who in the world shares a xxx video they watched on their facebook timeline?)

A stored called John Lewis in the UK had a really big QR code as part of a window-covering display I think was to advertise online shopping. What struck me, even as someone who knows what they are, was how visually menacing this huge QR code looked. They must be extremely visually unwelcoming to the uninitiated, which strikes me as the unfortunate old aura of technology which has only recently been shook off.

I have a few issues with QR codes.

1. They are still cumbersome to use. If I could open up my camera app (which I can launch with a press of a button) and point it at the QR code then maybe. But currently I've got to unlock my phone, open google googles, put google goggles in 'live' mode, then point it at the code, and wait for it to focus.

Now, there might be camera apps that scan for QR codes while you're snapping pics. But if it's not baked into my stock phone I don't see anybody else doing it.

2. I really only ever see the things on the Tube. But there's no cell reception on the tube. What use is a URL I can't load?

3. If I showed my mother (Somebody I'd consider a 'typical' user. Has an iphone and a few apps on it. Uses the web for facebook, work and emails) a picture of a QR code she'd probably tell me that the art lessons I took in high school didn't pay off. If my mum doesn't know what a QR code is what's to say other people will?

4. A QR code alone isn't a call to action. Tell me what I'm going to gain by scanning it and I'll probably be more receptive to it.

I'm not going to scan a QR code that doesn't tell me upfront what it does (e.g. get a discount, view more info on this product, etc). QR code + verb summary: helpful. QR code on its own: ignored.

My company went to a trade show recently, and instead of brochures, we made up a little business card with some summary information on the front, and a big QR code on the back. When you scan the QR code, it puts the summary and contact information into your phone as a contact. (It's labeled, so people know that scanning the code will transfer the card's information to their phone's contact list). I think this is pretty darn useful. It's nice to have something physical to hand to someone, but nobody wants to re-key contact info. And we want to make it easy to get the info from the card into their phone. You can use vcard or MECARD format. http://code.google.com/p/zxing/wiki/BarcodeContents

I don't know why more people don't use the scan-to-transfer aspect of QR codes.

What % of business cards got scanned?

Here in Chile, Nike put a QR code in an ad for a 10k run. It took you to a site with some information... unfortunately it was in flash so iPhones couldn't view it.

I have never really understood the QR code hate. To just dismiss such a cool technology due to a dislike of how they look seems shallow at best. I also find QR codes genuinely useful, and have found myself scanning them quite regularly. I just wish iOS had it built in.

The problem is that 'me not wanting to ever see your ad again' is NOT quantifiable. Marketers can see the positive impact of QR codes but not the negative.

Thus by their metrics the more prominent the QR code, the more people who swipe it and the 'better' the ad performs. But it's very expensive to quantify the negative impact of the QR code. Advertisers would need to run focus groups, ask people if they saw the ad, what they remembered about it, what their impression was, etc.

So we find ourselves seeing more, bigger QR codes, even though people don't really seem to care for them.

I think QR codes are almost never applied appropriately. I can Google something as quickly (if not more) than I can scan and process a QR code. True, a QR code may help me reach deep info easily, but a QR code has meaning ONLY to a computer; a URL has meaning to both a computer and to a human.

Let's say I see a poster advertising, say, a contest by Budweiser to win Superbowl tickets. Two scenarios that, for the sake of argument, are mutually exclusive: A) The poster has a QR code. If I don't scan that QR code then and there my interaction is done. B) The poster has a URL (BudweiserSuperbowl.com). If I don't visit that site while I'm standing next to the advertisement there's still a chance I may remember the URL and decide to check it out later. This is the similar to the reason we invented DNS to obviate the need to memorize IP addresses.

brk's example of a QR code on a washing machine at Best Buy was far more useful to Best Buy than to the customer: scanning a bar code can yield technical info, reviews, prices etc. whereas scanning a QR code will only give you the information that Best Buy or the manufacturer wants you to see.

Some places I wouldn't mind seeing QR codes:

- Videogames have more and more long alphanumeric strings to enter to enable online features, downloadable content, et al.; why not also include QR codes for Kinect to scan?

- Mini QR codes on menus to take you directly to nutritional info for a dish could be cool

> URL has meaning to both a computer and to a human.

I'm not convinced. I think that most people don't remember URLs, in the same way that they freak out when an error dialog pops up and the just click any button to make it go.

"What did it say?" you ask, trying to fault find. "Oh, I don't know", they reply, "I just clicked [NO]".

And honestly, no-one is going to remember "budweisersuperbowl.com". See also AOL using "aol keywords".

So maybe they're both bad ideas, I can accept that. In fact I know I personally would be far more likely to just Google "budweiser superbowl" than pay attention to the URL, but if I'm going to pick one or the other for my ad I'd stick with a URL. Those same people you reference certainly aren't the ones who are going to both know what a QR code is and have the motivation to scan the code. Anyone could read a url and remember it whereas no one I've heard of can look at a QR code and understand a lick of it. If nothing else I stand by a URL in this situation being a better bad idea than a QR code.

How about using an IPV6 binary code? You know, the internet of things ;-)

    levis.com/model-550/stone-washed

    2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334

    | ..:. .... .... ...: 
    | .... ::.: :.:: :... 
    | :... .:.: :.:. ..:: 
    | .... .... .... .... 
    | .... .... .... .... 
    | :... :.:. ..:. :::. 
    | .... ..:: .::: .... 
    | .::: ..:: ..:: .:..

Bottom line, they link you to content that you cant get without typing in some url into your phone. They are convenient when its relevant. Passing by a restaurant you might want to go to later, launch app with one hand, scan code, keep walking, review menu... They are links that transcend platforms, would you be just at apposed to a rfid tag that you just swipe your device over to connect? I think they are extremely useful when used correctly. They save time and they dissolve errors. They are essentially internet links removed from computers... when I hear the anti qr code arguments I think to my self, well are you against hyperlinks? Do you avoid clicking links that could give you additional information about something your interested in? Then whats your beef with a link on a movie poster or can of soup? They're here to stay until replaced by a nicer looking swifter alternative but the concept will never go away.

The most useless QR code I saw was this movie poster http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/i/2011/08/19/Martha-Marcy-poster_... which led to a website... wait for it... in flash! (and yes, I could have flash on my Android, but I chose not to)

Why don't any good 'URL Finder' apps exist.

  1) Open URL Finder app
  2) Take picture
  3) URL finder identifies all the urls in the picture.
  4) Your browser opens those urls

These QR codes aren't being used for robot orientation or shipment tracking, they don't need to be so fault tolerant. Why not just OCR plain text?

Because OCR is hard. Finding and decoding QR codes is way easier and more resilient.

It takes ages for most camera apps to decode a QR code designed for ease of reading and ubiquity - what makes you think it would somehow be faster to do OCR on arbitrarily sized and styled fonts?

Many advertising agencies simply get caught up in trends and fads and don't take a hard look at the actual effects these trends have on their audience. Periodically I do work for these agencies on their print materials, and often clients ask for these QR codes without even understanding what they DO. All they know is that "it's happening" and they want in on it.

Now, sometimes it makes sense, and other times not so much. But the pattern is clear, at least with these clients: play the part, and the client is happy. Try to educate the client, and you might just find yourself looking for another one.

Too often clients don't look at the results of their decisions, at least in the larger organizations. Just my experience, and maybe I get shitty jobs which skews my view.

People don't understand QR codes.

QR codes are a medium of transportation and a digitalization of analog information. However, if what's at the end of that trail isn't something people are interested in, then it doesn't matter if that trail is the yellow brick road, they're not going to follow it.

The reason why QR codes are used is that they're cheap, dirt cheap. But most vendors are simply adding them without thinking about adding value. When you start adding value like convenience, discounts, promotions and other means to hook an audience, that's when the ability to interact with print becomes validated. Until vendors start doing this, posts and comics like the above will exist...

If people didn't scan them, the statistics that go along with them are useless.

People do scan them, though.

I predict that a few years from now we will not be seeing QR codes. I dislike them because they are ugly and their abuse seems to be widespread and growing, but I can see many reasons, some of which are posted here, why they would be useful. But why does it have to be an ugly code? Getting the data (link?) into the phone is the general problem. Seems like image search is getting to the point where you can scan in a logo, or take a photo of it, and plug that into a search to get to the product/web site etc. The point being that it doesn't have to be an ugly black and while mishmash. How about OCR on the URL?

Seems like image search is getting to the point where you can scan in a logo, or take a photo of it, and plug that into a search to get to the product/web site etc.

1) The recognition is less reliable

2) It depends on another service which might be unavailable, slow, not have the logo in its database or have it associated with a different URL.

3) It's limited to products that have their own logos, which are a small minority.

4) It can't support different URLs for the same service or product, losing context.

5) As ugly as they are, QRCodes are identifiable as a link, logos aren't.

How about OCR on the URL?

OCR in real world conditions, using camera phones (not everyone has a 4S or similar) at widely different angles and distances and on the outdoors doesn't work that well. There's a reason why QR Codes where invented, and it was not just to offend people's aesthetic senses.

They have those big squares to detect the distortion, extra bits using Reed-Solomon for error-correction, they're much more compact and immediately identifiable.

A few points:

- The only people I know that use and are excited by putting QR codes in are nerds and/or marketers. I think it serves to quench our thirst for something shiny that is a technological hack. Most people dont feel the same way though.

- The results are obfuscated, when you scan the code you dont know where it will take you, worse if there is no details around the code. Its like a shortened link.

- In Japan it is a utility which is useful. In the West it seems to be a shiny toy for marketers.

- Much like Flash, it is a transitional medium between print and digital. It will be interesting to see what comes out next.

QR codes are new to most advertisers, so they don't know what to do with them. They're just using QR codes to use QR codes without thinking about whether they make sense.

When the wii first came out, it was full of games where motion control made no sense. Some marketing guy told the developers to add motion control. It didn't matter if it fit the game or not, they just did it, so they could say they had it on the box.

There is a place for QR codes. As soon as the novelty wears off and advertisers stop thinking they're cool, we'll start to see them used in real meaningful applications.

Remember :CueCat? [1]

The marketers may just be repeating the same mistake. Fortunately it does not require specialized hardware anymore (since most smartphone cameras can read QR codes.)

[1]: http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/fog0000000037.html

I actually have found QR codes to be effective when used in presentations at tech conferences. At the end of each talk, I have a QR code on the final slide that points to a page where attendees can get more info.

About 1/4 of all people who visited that page at my SXSW talk this year came in through a QR code. This is kind of an anomaly because a SXSW talk is probably the perfect place to use a QR code.

My one complaint is, of course, that they are hideous. It would be nice if there were a central database where you could upload your own symbols and assign them to URLs.

I am confused why several people called this an article - it's a comic.

Which, mind, is not to say that it can't be correct or insightful, and it's certainly amusing, but... I'm just confused.

I scan a QR code at my local coffee shop almost every (week) day. I use an app that acts like an electronic loyalty card - you scan a QR code when you get a coffee, and every 10th coffee is free (and I find I'm actually more likely to do it, unlike with cardboard loyalty cards where it feels like you're inconveniencing someone when they're busy by making them mark it).

This has always been one of my favorite uses of QR codes, a grocery store in the subway. Taking wasted space and wasted time, and putting them to productive use is amazing.

http://natmobi.com/innovative-qr-code-grocery/

How do you actually scan a qr code? Does the iPhone camera automatically recognize them?

No, you need an app for that

Not that I'd ever bother looking up what it encodes, but the pencil-shave qr code http://pinterest.com/pin/23151385554160440/ is pretty damn good looking.

I like the idea of QR codes, but I've never seen anyone scan them in public.

In fact, the only thing I keep hearing about QR codes is how stupid they are and how they should be obliterated from the face of the earth.

Plus, they hang in the most ridiculous places: On billboards high in the air, on a highway, across subway tracks...

I have no idea how to scan these. Well, maybe if I use a DSLR but not with the average smartphone.

QR codes ceased to be useful or necessary when smartphones apps for reading and opening plain-text URLs became available, which was a historical blink of an eye after the advent of QR codes.

QR codes had great potential. All sorts of cool information you could stuff in them

Then marketers discovered them. And now they lead you to the product's website. I could just google that if I cared.

QR Codes are great. Probably you just don't understand them properly.

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