Are QR Codes the Next Meme?

The QR code is the quintessential meme. Like the Hula Hoop, it is not the object itself, but the power of the idea to spread virally. Memes immediately seem cool, then proceed to hijack our sense for critical thinking. While codes have many creative uses, not all of them are interesting or useful.

QR codes are essentially icons for shortcuts to websites. Ideally these websites should be formatted for the mobile phone viewport size. Pages with computer screen formatting are almost useless, as the user needs to locate and zoom and pan the page to find the information.

The reflexive tendency to reduce information to symbols such as icons or codes typically results in symbols that are either devoid of information or overloaded with information. This may also be the case with QR codes.



An example of icons devoid of information are social media icons on billboards. Since you can't click them or scan them they are only tokens of the Facebook or Twitter memes. These days most companies have a presence on social media, so it is assumed they have sites there. If a user were to act on the icons, they would need to search Facebook for the group and join. This is the antithesis of mobile computing, which relies on speed and usability for its effectiveness in accessing information. They also have the tendency to become distractions while users fumble with their devices to access information that may or may not be useful.

One of the tools of usability is the concept of "instructions at the point of need" or point of use, in which important messages are displayed when a certain operation is attempted. Edward Tufte has touched on it in his books and lectures. [Read more at Tufte's Forum on this topic]

Apparently the recent explosions of ceramic gel firepots were the result of a warning visible at point of need, but on a sticker that would be thrown away. It worked for one instance but was missing when the information was critical. A QR code would not have helped in this situation because they are not direct messages. A flashing red light is full of meaning, but the notion of 'scan the code to see what the warning is' seems creepy and sardonic.

Then there is the issue of whether a QR code has any usefulness once the associated web page is accessible through an icon on the home screen. Printed matter that contain the codes needs to be distributed and redistributed as the information is changed or updated. ('Scan the code to register for the 2012 conference' for example) at which point the user is directed to a registration page where they can act immediately on the new information, or choose a 'remind me later' option.

A useful feature for code scanning apps could be voice commands to frequently used codes. For example this could be used for long complex serial numbers on electronics, that can either be scanned directly or summoned with a voice command, e.g. "serial Dell notebook", that pulls the information stored locally on the device or on the Web.

Codes are most useful on printed on printed materials, menus, coupons, gift cards, and so on. Generally speaking the paper medium is a superior 'vector' for code scanning and is very useful in restaurants, cafes, art galleries, where scanning the codes and loading the pages can be more deliberate and safe, and most importantly, useful to many users at once. This is starkly different than slapping codes on billboards that can amount to moral hazards of distraction behind the wheel of a moving vehicle.

While the QR code seems to be finally catching on in the U.S., there are factors that will present challenges to their use:

• Code scanning is not easy or quick (ironically) and still requires downloading and installing an app. Apps and codes are also a patchwork of interfaces and functionality (like cloud music services now in their infancy);
• Understanding how they work, and to be convinced as to why we need them in our lives;
• Smartphones are still not widely used (roughly 25% of the mobile phone market) and the hardware, OS and software are still a work in progress;
• Wireless connections in the U.S. are still glacially slow. Pages designed for mobile devices have to be sufficiently optimized with low graphics density where there is no wi-fi;
• People are hesitant to hold up a mobile device in public places, especially in where they are targets for thieves

The future of search on mobile devices is most likely with voice or proximity (Near Field Communication or "NFC"): "If I'm within x feet of 'this location' do THIS". Adding the voice command feature in scanning apps may be useful, which would then give the user three ways to access a URL: by the URL itself, scanning or voice activation, then a fourth, NFC, once the technology matures.

NFC will probably make a buggy whip out of the QR code, except when they are a part of print campaigns in which the codes are a superior option over NFC. Privacy and security concerns with NFC will make QR codes a safer option for some users, so code scanning will always have its place.