Comments on: QR codes will be looked back on in history as a gimmick no more impactful than scratch and sniff.

By: Make the most out of the pages QR codes link to | Paul Randall

Make the most out of the pages QR codes link to | Paul Randall — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 19:09:58 +0000

[…] I have spoken before about QR codes, and their place in the world currently; but I do use them myself — mainly as a curiosity as to […]

By: Paul

Paul — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 22:18:19 +0000

Thanks for the comment David.

It’ll be interesting to see if the QR code as we know it will integrate into the mainstream over the coming years.

By: David Bernstein

David Bernstein — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 19:53:55 +0000

First, let’s recall that the QR Code is not the first attempt to connect print and online. Around 1996 or so, the yellow pages industry attempted to use a new technology known as CueCat developed by Digital Convergence Corporation. It was a total failure. It may have been the wrong technology at the wrong time. You had to connect a small scanning device to your home computer to use it. This was cumbersome and a pain; besides you could just as easily type in a URL since you have the book in front of you anyway.

I tend to agree that the QR Code as it currently functions is most likely a stop gap measure. What I believe will have to be done in order for the QR Code or its successor viable are 2 things: its must be readable on more than a cell phone and it also must provide the user with an experience other than merely taking her to a website or other information that is generally available on the company’s website.

The function must be more engaging and provide users with a compelling reason to use the code other than just to see what happens.

Dave

By: Paul

Paul — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 10:21:30 +0000

Andy, thanks for commenting.

I agree that QR codes are being used in a number of ways with the intention of increasing the user experience (some more so than others) but the technology and application on mobiles still prohibits mainstream uptake. We have a situation in the next few years where they could just turn into a gimmick for geeks.

By: Andy Mabbett

Andy Mabbett — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 10:11:56 +0000

There’s more to QR codes than adverts. Have a look at how we’re using them to serve Wikipedia articles, in whatever language the user’s phone is set to, in a project called QRpedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QRpedia

@Rob: “If I see an advert I want it to be a very deliberate act to follow up on it” – QR codes facilitate exactly that.

By: Paul

Paul — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 22:23:11 +0000

Thanks for the reply Rob.

I think the interaction between the real-world and the digital one will always be something people try to tie together, but the solution won’t come by pushing tech onto the consumer.

By: Rob Swan

Rob Swan — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 21:29:01 +0000

I agree QR codes are a total gimick. If the iPhone camera app natively recognised them that would probably change things; but the fact it doesn’t goes to prove the point.

I actually like to keep a healthy gap between myself and adverts. If I see an advert I want it to be a very deliberate act to follow up on it; if I see a game or DVD I want I just type the name into a search engine or on my chosen ecommerce store to buy it… much like 3D TV; QR codes are a “fix” for something that just isn’t broken in the first place. I think most related forms of augmented reality would be just the same.