QR Code Usage

QR Codes seem to have a bad reputation, besides being ugly they don't seem to meet the expectations when implemented. So what are the expectations? When a QR Code is used your:

• trafic to the website should increase exponentially?
• revenue should increase exponentially?
• your company/product is suddenly more modern?

QR Codes are a tool, and when a tool is not used correctly, or a wrong tool is used for a certain job, you end up with more damage than good. And as the tool should never be more important that the goal.

A good example I saw a couple of years ago, when for a project a piece of software needed to be developed. In order to make clean software, tools needed to be implemented in the development environment to monitor the code during creation. During progress meetings the implementation of the developent tools got more attention than the actual progress of the software project??

So how should QR Codes be used? It depends on the goal that you set. I had a good discussion with my client when I developed the following code.

The QR Code should contain a "V CARD", making it possible to have all his company an personal information being stored in the phones contacts. While it is possible to put all the required information into a single QR Code, due to the amount of data it will end up being a very large QR code. And if a large QR Code needs to be printed on small item like a business card, the resolution of the mobile phones camera needs to be taken into account.
Not to mention that some mobile QR Code reader applications don't know how to handle "V CARD" information.

The solution was to store and host  the "V CARD" on  the company's website. Now the QR Code could be a link to this information.

The second item we discussed was the image that should be placed in the QR Code. Since the QR Code needed to be placed on a business card, his arguments were that the companies logo didn't have to be integrated in the picture. The logo, in full color was already printed on the business card.
I consider that a good thinking, the QR Code must bring added value to the business card, placing a company's logo in the QR Code would not add anything. That's how we ended up using a profile picture.
Suddenly there is also a picture accompanying the name mentioned on the business card. And with the text "scan this code for full contact details" the intention of the QR Code was also made clear.
The tool and the job in perfect harmony.

If you have defined how you want to wield your QR Code tool, and you require your own error free fast scanning QR Code, containing the correct graphic, don't hesitate to visit http://www.kangaderoo.nl to see more examples of what is possible with QR Codes.