

Enough with the QR Codes - ramisayar
http://ramisayar.com/enough-with-the-qr-codes/

======
veidr
I see people scan QR codes often, and even occasionally do myself; but then, I
live in Japan.

Here, QR codes became popularized well before the 'smartphone', because
everybody's regular phone has been able to scan them for years. (I think from
around the turn of the millennium, at least.) That makes sense, because as as
bad as smartphone on-screen keyboards are, entering URLs on a numeric keypad
was _even worse_.

Two days before the OP's blog entry, I just happened to write a note on my own
blog in _defense_ of QR codes (not exactly Pulitzer-grade material; see my
profile if you're really interested).

That was just because recently it seems to have gotten really trendy in the
USA to hate on QR codes, but I think that's like hating on hammers. ( _"Enough
with the hammers!"_ ) What people are really hating on (I think) is clumsy and
stupid marketing involving QR codes.

Japan went through a similar thing: as QR codes became popular, marketers got
all over-exuberant about them and started inappropriately plastering them all
over the place, thinking they looked cool. That gradually fizzled out; Japan
Inc. has a recent article about it:

<http://www.japaninc.com/node/4018>

But just because advertisers over-use and abuse QR codes, that doesn't mean QR
codes aren't useful. A small barcode that can be scanned with the device that
everybody already has in their pocket is a cool thing, and QR codes are
_nearly_ that. Especially here.

We don't see them as much in ads in Japan anymore (a mock-Google search box
showing what to google for has replaced the QR code in a lot of places). But
we still use them in everyday life, and to good effect. Kids snap shots of QR
codes to get discount coupons for fast food. Shops have a QR code that will
direct you to a Google map of the surrounding area whosing their other
locations in the vicinity. One of my favorites examples is when a friend was
trying to fix his kitchen; one of the pipes underneath had a metal tag stamped
with a part number and QR code, which led to the product spec page from the
vendor that made it (loooong URL).

I have more, but you get the point, and it's miller time.

~~~
rurounijones
Plus the fact that not ALL QR Codes are URLs to marketing sites.

I have seen plenty of "stick in a microwave" type meals that have a QR code
which, when scanned, display nutritional information which would never have
fit on the tiny label.

Mind you this is also in Japan so....

~~~
Jetlag
For a moment I thought you were going to say that your microwave scanned the
QR to automatically set itself.

------
conradev
> Firstly, that’s a huge security risk in my mind, it’s like I am trying to
> open an email attachment from an unknown sender because nobody knows who put
> up these ads.

It's _not_ like opening an email attachment, it's more like opening a URL. The
only documented QR code attack I know of consists of a QR code with a
malicious URL (<http://isc.sans.edu/diary.html?storyid=12760>). The QR code
only served as a 'mask' to the URL, where the users were too ignorant to look
at the URL before visiting it.

I don't think embedding malicious code in a QR code is practical or possible,
mostly because the amount of data it can hold is very small. The only binary
format I know of that is commonly used on a QR code is vCard; the rest are
plaintext based formats.

~~~
Tooluka
But opening unknown URL IS dangerous. It's like URL shorteners that plague
internet since Twitter - you never know where link will take you and what
scripts etc. will run in your browser.

~~~
dfxm12
On my device (android with bar code scanner device), the experience is that I
scan a QR code with a URL, it tells me that the QR code has a URL & shows me
what the URL is, then gives me the option to visit the link.

Depending on if the URL is a shortened URL, it is just as safe or moreso than
regular browsing.

Is your experience different from this?

------
klinquist
I do believe I've found a decent use for them - I wrote an app that can push
an iOS mobile provisioning wifi profile to an iPhone - this allows your guests
to scan a QR code to have their iOS device connect to your wifi network
(without directly sharing your WPA key with them). You can even geofence the
QR code so that if it is scanned > 1/2 mile from your home, the profile will
not be pushed.

You must use RedLaser to scan the QR code - it is the only that pushes URLs
out to Safari (instead of to an internal web-view) which allows the profile to
be pushed.

<http://www.getonmywifi.com>.

~~~
gala8y
FYI: There is an app for Android doing the same (works great):
[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.proj.wifij...](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.proj.wifijoiner)

I printed Marvin the Paranoid Android pointing to a fat QR code with extra
text saying sth like 'internets r here... and ur emailz, too.'

One of the best QR code use cases, I believe.

edit: User must have app installed on her phone.

------
noveltyaccount
Good use case: on a For Sale sign in front of a house or apartment with a deep
link to the listing. Much easier than going to the web site and searching.

~~~
cmelbye
Sure, QR codes are always a "good use case" when it comes to this. They ARE
faster than typing in a link or searching. Doesn't do much good when no one
uses the code, though.

~~~
RandallBrown
Usually they just link to a companies website though and it would have been
faster to type it in instead of scanning it.

------
Reebz
If QR codes were automatically detected with the iPhone camera app, they would
boom.

95 percent of the problem is non-tech people don't know they need an app to
scan or can't be bothered with getting one.

I've literally seen a friend of mine try to take a photo of a QR code and
complain it doesn't work.

It's like having a PC without a web browser -- what the hell do you do with a
URL then?

------
jamesjyu
Context is everything. For example, QR codes are huge in Japan. Witness this
video:
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myzLAXtqoa8&feature=playe...](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myzLAXtqoa8&feature=player_embedded#)!

People literally lining up to take snapshots of QR codes.

~~~
jvm
Playing the Japan card during discussion of a cultural phenomenon is the
equivalent of playing the Hitler card in a political debate.

If there's one thing that's clear, it's that they will do absolutely anything
in Japan.

EDIT: In Japan, this is the kind of thing they watch on TV:
<http://youtu.be/xqoXcLqVemA>

~~~
rhizome
Yeah. Those wacky Orientals, eh?

~~~
jvm
I was just trying to point out cultural differneces in a tongue-in-cheek
manner. I think Japan is the least Europeanized wealthy country (the other
Asian tigers count too but are less renowned for shocking westerners). As a
result, it's often a lot less valid to generalize from Japanese culture to
American culture than, say, Australian or German.

There's a world of difference between pointing out cultural diversity and
racial stereotyping. I guess the fact that I'm actually kind of into
Vermillion Pleasure Night blinded me to the fact that some people might have
interpreted my comments as derogatory.

~~~
rhizome
They're not necessarily derogatory, just ignorant. For instance, "least
Europeanized" is indeed a generalization to Western culture, just a negative
one.

------
corin_
Essentially the biggest reason they are used so much is because of the
argument "why not?"

I was in a meeting with the organisers of a pretty big consumer tech event, a
couple of clever, successful people, and they mentioned that they were going
to be putting QR codes on nearly all branding at the event we were discussing.
I, slightly rudely, chuckled and asked why on earth they would do that; the
answer: "We've found a site where you can make them really, really cheap -
like, almost free - so we might as well!"

~~~
DHowett
The real WTF is... Almost free? Like, they found a company that will, what,
sell you an image of black and white boxes for mere pennies? God, imagine the
money they could make swindling companies with a per-scan advertising fee!
Pixels will be mined like gold!

Apparently nobody in Corporate has heard of a free online barcode generator.
You can even print the barcode _as many times as you want!_ Maybe they just do
not trust free services?

~~~
jarek
I imagine it's the tracking and statistics provided by paid services that is
the really useful point from business point of view. Marketing people _love_
response tracking.

~~~
corin_
Nope, in this case it was the creating of QR codes for printing. Don't worry,
I did laugh pretty hard right in front of them and told them that it's easy to
make them absolutely free - ah well, they'd already paid at this point.

~~~
Scotchy
Well you can still track how many people scan it, right ? e.g. by providing a
proxy link ?

~~~
corin_
Yeah sure - plenty of people do QR codes that go through bit.ly, just as
possible to do it through any other tracking platform.

~~~
crisnoble
bitly provides qr codes for every link generated with their service. Just go
to the info page. ex: <https://bitly.com/FPUVjU+>

------
alphakappa
Like every other piece of technology, QR codes can also be overused and
abused. This isn't worth ranting over though.

There are perfectly good reasons to use QR codes. URLs may be long, confusing
or just awkward enough to be a pain to type. Sometimes there may not be enough
space on the product to put in a full URL. There's no reason to stop the
'madness' as this author puts it - like other pieces of technology, folks will
experiment quite a bit in the early days and then settle on good usage
practices as time goes on.

------
BryanB55
We started using them on the print pages of homes for sale that we provide for
our clients. The QR links to a google map of the property's address. Usually a
buyer would print out the listing and take it with them to see the house. So
far it seems to be a much easier way to get directions to the house without
having to type in an entire address on your smartphone.

Sample: <http://virtualstagingsolutions.com/a/view/1159/print>

------
gadgetdevil
If you have an Android phone, you can create a QR code for a WiFi hotspot with
a WEP/WPA2 encryption key. <https://zxing.appspot.com/generator/>

------
maxmcd
They are free to set up, advertisers and marketers understand them (or at
least they think they do), they feel very "modern".

QR codes aren't going anywhere is because they are a perfectly attractive
novelty for the non-tech world. There is a far better conversion, and ease
from using short URLs or even a 4 digit number that will next you the URL, but
the QR code will still prevail.

I wouldn't expect QR codes to go away until the offline advertising and
marketing world becomes more data driven. Given recent trends, that's unlikely
to happen any time soon.

------
artursapek
I feel like there's a routine anti-QR code thread on HN once a month and it's
always the same argument. They'll die naturally when nobody wants them. For
now it seems like certain people want them.

~~~
RandallBrown
It seems more like people _want_ people to want them so they're sticking
around. Sometimes they're useful, but that's pretty rare.

~~~
ramisayar
> people want people to want them

LOL Nice.

------
av500
my biggest gripe with QR codes is that the built-in camera apps on smartphones
dot not scan for them by default. Instead I have to hunt through my installed
apps to find the "barcode scanner" or whatever.

Why can't the default camera recognize a QR code, either in preview or after
taking the picture?

------
jonmrodriguez
QR codes will be great for users of augmented reality glasses, by having the
QR codes represent embeddable 3D graphics.

Like an iframe for the physical world.

------
ebzlo
My educational startup uses them in our printed assignments. Teachers fax
completed tests to us and we can grade them by identifying the assignment
through QR.

Example: <http://kiteedu.com/assets/print.jpg>

------
joshmlewis
I think in SOME situations it's a good thing to have. But there are some
horrible uses, such as while I was driving down the interstate the other day,
on the complete opposite side to which I was driving, there was a billboard
for the National Guard that had a QR code.

There is no way in hell I am or evan can pull out my phone, open the qr reader
app, point it at that billboard in a steady enough motion WHILE driving 70mph
on the OTHER SIDE of the highway and go to their website. We aren't even
supposed to be using devices while driving and the freaking National Guard
does that. I hope our tax dollars (wishful thinking, I know) didn't go to
this. But it's plain ridiculous.

------
gkoberger
Personally, I've found them to sometimes be useful.

I use an iPhone now, however they were fairly useful on Android -- a lot of
Android forums would show a QR code when you hovered over links to .apk's,
which made attachments easy to download.

------
taybenlor
Reposting my comment from the blog, because it's still "awaiting moderation".

QR Codes do have uses, but everyone uses them wrong. The first and most
obvious use is as a replacement barcode. Add to physical products to expand
scanning use-cases. But not as a marketing stunt.

The next, which I quite like is for device -> device communication. For
example displaying a QR code on your phone and having it automatically scanned
at a ticket collection point for Airplanes/Trains/Events.

~~~
ramisayar
Apologies for the "awaiting moderation", I was sleeping. It's up now.

------
willwagner
I like the QR codes at Best Buy; I use them all the time when I'm just
starting to research electronics and I make a visit to one of their stores.
It's convenient, I can store it on my iphone for later, and I can read user
reviews, etc.

That being said, I'm not sure if they help or hurt sales because when I do
scan a QR code, I typically end up doing comparison shopping and typically
Best Buy's prices don't compete well with online retailers.

~~~
bigiain
I'm on the wrong side of the planet to check, but I'm bet reasonable money
that Best Buy are running privacy-dubious redirection/browser-
fingerprinting/analytics on the urls those QR code send you too.

Or if they're not, does anyone have a contact in marketing at Best Buy?

------
chrislomax
Would a better idea not to have a font that was made for the purpose of
scanning?

That way, if people don't have smartphones then they know the url. Those who
do have smartphones know what the url points to in case there is something
dodgy about the url.

I hate to say it but something like Courier, on a white background and we
improve the OCR techniques in the phones?

~~~
ragmondo
You mean like "OCR Font?" - <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OCR-A_font>

~~~
chrislomax
Perfect, I wasn't even aware there was a font for this purpose!

I don't see the point in QR codes, I have never seen an every day use for them
and it makes me slightly angry that they have been adopted so heavily.

I do take into account people have found a use for them in niche situations.
It just seems these ugly black barcodes could have been avoided by legible OCR
fonts with a decent OCR scanner built into the phone. Everyone's happy!

~~~
rhizome
Hardware-wise, OCR is not as simple to process as QR.

------
corin_
When commenting earlier I forgot to mention that I have a personal use-case
for QR codes - an easy way to put a page I'm looking at on the PC onto my
phone, easier than typing in the URL or mailing the link.

<http://code.google.com/p/qrbookmarklet/> (not made by me, just used by me)

------
AzAngel
I used them for a QR code scavenger hunt once and, even in this tech backwards
town, got a couple people involved. This was when they were still new. It
familiarized people with our website and our store layout. It also got them
asking at the counter for help to find things. All in all exactly what I was
hoping for.

------
jamesu
This intense hatred of QR Codes continues to baffle and amaze me. Sure, if you
use them inappropriately it's a disaster but if you can add something which
potentially makes it easier for those with phones to access, then why not?

It's almost like complaining about the over-usage of barcodes on product
packaging.

------
harryf
There's a whole website dedicated to this <http://wtfqrcodes.com/>

~~~
cstuder
Along with this blog: <http://picturesofpeoplescanningqrcodes.tumblr.com/>

~~~
ramisayar
LIKE!

------
LachlanArthur
Please stop using "I don't know where the QR will take me" as an excuse. Any
decent scanning app shows the QRs content before asking the user to act upon
it. Who would want an app that instantly saves a vcard to their contact list,
or opens a url as soon as they scan it?

------
utopkara
Nobody remembers the google sesame? That one exampled in itself should stop
this thread.

~~~
gaius
CueCat?

~~~
utopkara
<https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3469692>

------
tallanvor
QR Codes remind me of the CueCat. There are some interesting and perfectly
valid use cases, but I doubt QR Codes will be something that most people ever
start using on a daily basis.

------
DrStalker
So far the best use I have found for QR codes is making up stickers than when
scaned decode to "sorry i wasted your time this qr code does not contain
anything interesting"

------
jdsemrau
It is funny how this topic comes up every month. I guess it's because we
somehow want them to add value, but at this stage they don't.

------
xarien
Why is QR codes prevalent?

Because it's cheap and can digitize analog goods easily.

------
abava
as per use cases: check-ins could be simplified with QR-codes. See
<http://servletsuite.com/qrcode.htm>

------
rhizome
The novelty has worn off, so now they're worthless and companies should just
stop using them. I'm not sure I agree.

------
drivebyacct2
I've made a point to ask people who work in retail stores/shops that have QR
codes if they've ever had people scan the QR codes. The most "positive" answer
I heard was that they weren't sure. Some people stopped in front of the signs,
but they weren't sure if they were scanning the code or following the link or
sending an email/sms to subscribe.

Most of the time, it's a flat out no. I suspect it might be different in other
places where there is greater awareness or density of QR codes though.

BTW, asking for a use case? Entering secure keys. Initializing OTP code
generators. (aka Google Auth, which you SHOULDN'T have to ask about because it
should ALREADY be active. Go do it, right now, mid-sentence, if you haven't)
Potentially initializing 3 keys for use in a two-factor auth tool for phones
and NFC tags. cough.

------
2launchfail
Wasn't there some big conspiracy that bar-codes would be EVERYWHERE one day???

I saw them on some Churches main signs, I see them on pretty much
everything... They are all techinically "linked" to the internet...

Maybe, that "day" the conspirators speak of is upon us?

:-\

