QR Arts

Working on building this out. Just for fun.

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Designer QR code painting created for HRC charity benefit dinner. Code links to the HRC twitter page, so that every time it is scanned it links to new dynamic content.

http://www.hrcnationaldinner.org/2010/08/designer-hrc-qr-code-digital-print/

New piece created for a client through Qonnect. Mobile page is still under construction.

A new approach to customization. I like how it gives the code an internally softer look.

I am so surprised I got this to work.  But, I wonder if this is a really big discovery I stumbled upon. Both work!

What started out as a joke, and an experimental hack of a technology brought me to a comment I hear often. You might think the question is “which is better”?  But more often, what people discuss is ” So I need another reader?”

Code format Agnostic: A user really shouldn’t have to pick what reader to use. The fact that I had to integrate 2 types of codes so that “I” could satisfy both readers is a bit preposterous.  I am not sure the consumer really cares, as long as it works.  Although, I’m sure they find it annoying that they may need to install multiple readers just to experience the UX of 2d barcodes – which could leave a bad first impression of this technology. Hurting anyone and everyone on all sides of the equation.

Concluding thoughts of a rant:  IF I have to go the extra mile to integrate two competing code formats, does it make more sense to have universal readers?  Who does this effect and why?  #economics #tipping point #open-source #competition

“Rethinking the Promise of QR Codes: UX, mobile content, and media integration” (part 1)
by Patrick Donnelly of QrArts LLC

Forget everything you have heard about QR codes up to this point (called quick response codes – for those QR newbies where forgetting is not a problem). The promise of QR can only begin to be realized by thinking of how they relate to both “UX (user experience)” and “media integration.”

Everyone knows QR codes can help you get from A to B. Much of the media has been focusing only on A – the codes themselves. But take a minute to think about all the possibilities of B? However, the journey is part of a much bigger movement where mobile is converting impressions to interactions on a personal and a trackable level – which is rather remarkable. Marketers now have the ability to align print and web communications while using location-aware devices to deliver highly customized messaging on a new platform. A mouthful isn’t it? What it means is that you can finally create personalized experiences that allow individuals to act as brand ambassadors, consumers, connectors, fans, and in almost any other role you can define – all from your customer’s hand.

Not only are 2d barcodes engaging guests with a brand, but a new era of “pull” marketing is emerging with the ability to again “push” content back into new social media channels. One of the benefits of QR is the instant ubiquity of content on demand which then can be distributed from your handheld computer. A scan, no matter how “unnatural” the action is, takes 2 seconds compared to the fastest T9 texting champion typing in a URL. I am not saying that it is perfect, or is always used appropriately, but imagine what you can do in a clickable world. QR by itself is purely a tool or vessel – the information inside the code and how the information will be delivered and used by the user is the real value. And the possibilities are endless! If technology and culture can agree on some level of code format agnosticism, this tool can be used to create some amazing experiences for users – TODAY. The debates over code superiority, and which technology will be next is quite esoteric and focuses on the wrong part of this equation.

Now that we have this technology, the new frontier is the development of the user experiences, which brand managers have yet to design. The code is an entry point for the consumer; there has to be content on the other side of the portal. Websites tailored specifically to mobile viewing are the crucial focus. The challenge is how mobile design and mobile web will allow us to do more then just watch an ad or buy tickets. The space between web and print is a fascinating frontier as the tools continue to converge and evolve into meaningful interactions. By scanning a QR code, a user accepts a relationship with a brand on a personal level.

So…how can you utilize QR and mobile content to create more meaningful interactions for your brand? Remember, the possibilities are endless.

Qr Arts partnered with OCTO labs in Washington DC to put QR codes on the Circulator buses in the heart of Washington DC. Each code is personalized to each bus – allowing you to comment, tweet, or view bus schedules per route and stop.

video link here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIOdPhVsrkY

For a recent contest I am entering considering how QR can be used for social good.

For the Scanlife contest, I created this entry.

QR codes on these perfectly square objects, link to lighthearted videos that educate and encourage people to have safe sex. A more advanced IT structure could allow for linkages to jokes, pickup lines, reading materials, or other information that often people are too embarrased to ask about.

Ie: Using QR codes to educate, possibly entertain, and decrease STI rates among tech savy youth.

Now – I admit that there might be a UX problem. No one usually looks at the packaging, and its usually dark when these are used – however, If you can make an impact to a few people, why wouldnt you risk making the world a better place.

I would love to roll out this concept for a major company if any would be interested in working with me.

For this code, the concept was to wrap a QR code around an impossible shape. Much of the movie inception dealt with worlds within worlds, and shapes/ times being represented in exponentially.  I wanted to create a piece of QR code art that reflected this challenge, and to do something new that I had never attempted before.

and it works.