QR CodesBy: Nichole Ackerman

03/24/2011

QR = Quick Response

• In 1994, Japanese company Denso Wave Incorporated (a subsidiary of Toyota) developed the first QR code

• Denso Wave needed an easily scannable code that could store more data than traditional bar codes

History

• Traditional bar codes can store up to 20 characters

• QR codes can store 7,089 numeric and 4,295 alphanumeric characters

• The 2D (two-dimensional) design of QR codes allows it to hold more data than bar codes

Capacity

QR Codes are 2D (two-dimensional)

image by Denso Wave Incorporated

Where do you find QR codes?

?image by technologyqw.com

Magazines

image by acegroupnyc.comimage by basketball-news-update.com

Television

image by yasni.com

image by 2d-code.co.uk

Internet

image by 2d-code.co.uk

image by projectgutenberg.org

Products

image by 2dbarcodestrategy.com

image by picplz.com/brittanycooper

On the Street

image by acegroupnyc.com

image by 2d-code.co.uk

Art

image by 2d-code.co.uk

image by thinkerbelle.me

Libraries

image by blog.ovrdrv.com

image by Flickr user Robin M. Ashford

What’s in a QR code?

?

“…the QR code has become the shortest distance between curiosity and information retrieval.”

- Hamilton Chan (2011)

QR codes can contain…

Website URLs Events (vCalendar) Social media profiles

Telephone numbers Contact information Facebook “Like”

SMS (text) messages Google Map locations YouTube videos

Email addresses Foursquare venues Paypal Buy Now links

Scanning

QR codes can be read by dedicated QR code scanners, tablet computers (like the iPad), or smartphones

Scanning

Smartphones and tablet computers must have a camera with auto-focus and a scanning application (app)

QR Code Actions

QR codes cause smartphones or tablet computers to perform a variety of actions including: open a webpage send an email send a text message add contact information to the phone upload an event to the phone’s calendar

Top QR Code Apps

• i-nigma

• Mobiletag

• NeoReader

• QuickMark

• ScanLife

• UpCode

Anyone with a computer and internet connection can create a QR code – for free!

QR Code Generators

• qrstuff.com

• mobile-barcodes.com

• qr.kaywa.com

• jumpscan.com (mobile business cards)

When creating a QR code, make sure the landing page is mobile ready and the content is valuable.

Mobile vs Non-Mobile Ready

Mobile Ready Non-Mobile Ready

References

Denso Wave Incorporated. (2010). About QR Code. Retrieved from http://www.denso-wave.com/qrcode/aboutqr-e.html

Chan, Hamilton. (2011, March 8). Why QR codes will go mainstream. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2011/03/08/mainstream-qr-codes/ Mobile-Barcodes. (n.d.). About QR-Codes. Retrieved from http://www.mobile-barcodes.com/about-qr-codes/

Roger,. (2009, September 14). The three rules of QR codes. Retrieved from http://2d-code.co.uk/three-rules-of-qr-codes