After being in this space for a while, people are constantly trying to debate that QR is dead. I think a maturation perspective is a much better fit.

QR codes are all grown up now. They are common, and don’t warrant attention unless they do something unique- ie. Have an impressive user experience or are used in a “creative” way. So, they hype faded, now its up to people to utilize this tool to communicate and engage. For many of us, the speaking points have not changed since the beginning. A code by itself is not a campaign.

QR is not dead, people just expect more. Create something worthwhile and meaningful – otherwise what’s the point?

-Patrick

All surfaces will be eventually augmented or integrated as I like to think of it. We already see kids running up to TVs and touching them to see iPad swipes. Until we get there, we are seeing lots of interactive mobile triggers on TVs. This makes ads and content more valuable per the cost of the spot. Here are a few format options we are seeing:

1. QR codes and TIVO – see TrueBlood QR campaign

2. QR codes at the end of an ad with a teaser at the beginning. See video above.

3  Shazaam Mark. Call to action at the beginning using audio as the mobile trigger.

4. Co-watching via ipad – Apps that use similar audio triggers to provide 2nd screen content during a show.  The Grays Anatomy ABC app is probably one of the best examples of this.

5. Vocal call to action or visual call to action:  Seeing a URL or an announcement to “find us on facebook.” More and more I am seeing hashtags on TV shows.

These few examples ( there are more daily ) show how content will be interconnected through all devices and surfaces in the near future.  These are just the beginnings of seeing how brands expand their communication experiences across media channels to reach fans on an ongoing user experience.  Fans consume and produce media across multiple devices at the same time and so should your brand.  Although TV is considered to be a higher cost advert then printed media, brands still cannot afford to keep this media channel a passive experience.  Allow consumers to continue your brand discussion into the social sphere.

-Patrick Donnelly

I set out on a partnership with Morphoses Dance company ( NYC ) to explore how QR codes and mobile could change the way audiences interact with dance. If you are in NYC, check out the show.

We explored the following areas:

1. Extend the dance into the urban setting

2. Allow phones to allow the fans to participate in the performance

3. Allow them to experience the dance on another level

4. Play on disruptive patterns of phones to influence the event

5. Allow phones to allow people to document and share the event

6. Allow phones to rate the performance at the end and continue the relationship

7. Use QR codes to mix digital and real performances.

QR codes in art

This Piece was previously published on IPA -

Exploring the benefits of “Designer” QR codes
Patrick Donnelly

Print is not dead; in fact, it is evolving and expanding. Print has even begun to bridge the gap with digital media with printed 2D barcodes, which when scanned with a smart phone trigger a digital experience on the mobile Internet that can be tracked and measured.
Incorporating QR codes or other 2-D barcodes into print publications makes both offline and online content more valuable and, in an integrated media campaign, possibly even symbiotic. Essentially a printed, scannable Web link, QR codes add an extra dimension to the static print experience.

Unfortunately, many print campaigns are hesitant to adopt mobile barcodes for aesthetic reasons, fearing that these “ugly” squares do not reflect the prestige of a brand or that they might mar a designer’s beautiful page layout. To overcome the aversion to ugly barcodes, QR codes can be converted into a branded “designer” barcode that is more aesthetically appealing.

Mobile tags, including QR codes, Microsoft Tags and other formats, can be modified and stylized to seamlessly represent the graphic identity of a brand. A few agencies, including QrArts, have begun modifying codes to make them attractive, using colors instead of just the usual black and white splotches, and blending them into objects and logos while maintaining their core functional integrity. The end result is a mobile tag that adheres to branding guidelines, stands out from standard codes and creates a wow factor, and provides an opportunity to extend a company’s creative vision to the online world.
Branded codes lend a sense of validity to a printed design. When a consumer recognizes a familiar brand’s use of a logo or color palette in a code, the consumer psychologically extends the brand reputation to the customized code and more readily accepts the mobile content the code leads to. This can make the difference between someone not scanning a code versus having a great mobile user experience that encourages the consumer to form a relationship with a brand.

From a printer’s perspective, think about branded 2-D barcodes from a cost-benefit standpoint. Whether you are approaching QR codes from a volume (pURLs) or single-use standpoint, your clients could accrue more value out of their media buy for the same cost by extending the printed message to an online interaction that can be engaging and elicit an immediate consumer response, whether it’s making a purchase using a coupon or delving deeper into the advertiser’s mobile Web site. From a brand standpoint, this helps a printer create a halo effect of appearing to be more progressive than competitors. With 2D barcodes starting to pop up everywhere, would you rather be the first or the last vendor in your network to use this tool to add value to your services?

For designers who wishes to experiment with creating her own branded codes, here are a few suggestions. The following apply specifically to QR codes.

Technical
1. A code can only be modified so far before it is “broken.” QR codes can have up to a 30% error correction built in. If you alter or block 50% of the pixels, the code will not scan. No matter how great it looks, if the code is not functional, the design solution has failed to deliver the user experience intended for the code.

2. Try to test on multiple handsets and apps. The Android and iOS devices use different code libraries/languages to scan codes, so they will function slightly differently. A successful scan on one app does not guarantee that it will work on every scanner and handset combination. If a large number of people cannot scan a code, the negative reaction can be counterproductive and might even deter that person from scanning codes in the future.

Creative suggestions
3. As with any mobile tagging format, give the user some directions and an idea of what to expect when he scans. A clear call to action and a hint of the content behind the code, such as, ”Scan this code for a special offer or a free music video,” will go a long way to boost the success rate of a campaign.

4. Literally think outside of the box and don’t feel compelled to stay within the lines. Even though the data region is inside the box, shapes and logos can spill out of the active scanning area. Do not block the three alignment squares, however.

5. Logos generally work best in the middle.

6. Adding color is an easy way to make your code stand out and at the same time blend into the look and feel of a print ad. If a user has scanned several codes over a period of time, a colored code will stand out in a phone’s gallery and can remind the consumer what content is behind it if they want to revisit a mobile site.

7. Codes can be big. Don’t be afraid to use a code as a focal point rather then an afterthought.

Pre-press and production
8. Like any other print job, be aware of how paper haptics and color shifts can affect the contrast levels of a piece. Just because a code scans on a monitor does not guarantee that it will work in print. Keep in mind that these are two different color systems (RGB vs. CMYK).

Remember that mobile marketing and 2-D barcodes are fairly new to most consumers and even to most design professionals, and their value is still largely unproved. But the potential for increased impressions and consumer interactions is too powerful to ignore. In some organizations, creating a branded code might make the difference between it being approved by the creative team and not being used.

Branded codes literally speak to people and a scan might lead to a new sale, a new level of customer engagement or a social share function that allows your printed ad to be disseminated among hundreds of friends.

Given the relatively modest cost and the significant potential upside of extending a static print message to an interactive digital engagement, a company can hardly afford not to make an interactive QR code-enabled marketing piece.

The key is assuring your clients that a QR code (branded or not) adds value to their campaigns rather then complicates the process or diminishes value. A branded code is a great approach to satisfying both internal stakeholders in creative and consumers to enable a worthwhile mobile experience behind the code. Designer QR codes can connect people to your brand and encourage them to enter into the mobile user experience to further develop a relationship.

As more and more companies get into QR code campaigns I am personally seeing an issue with how we document and share the mobile UX of these campaigns.

My suggestion would be to post a picture of the QR code in action ( context ) with a snapshot of the corresponding mobile user experience ( mSite, video, etc.).

This will clarify for viewers of your blog or case study on what your campaign looked like, and what happened after the scan. Here are two examples.
I think this approach will help how we in the mobile community continue to discuss and share the campaigns we have built and executed.

Best,
Patrick Donnelly

About a year ago, I outlined several UX principles for QR code interactions (here)

Lately, I have been impressed seeing that more desktop sites are encouraging people to migrate to their mobile presence via QR. This interaction is backwards from what we usually see. Instead of going from the physical world to the digital one, we are being transferred between devices but staying in the same brand – very smart.

The VEVO qr example here uses device detection to either guide you to their app, or allow you to browse VEVO videos on mobile where you can decide to share or purchase songs. These are the complex user experiences and calls to action that we would love to see more of.

-Patrick

The international QR code now is showing in Arlington, VA right outside of Washington, DC.  Please stop by!

Artisphere
1101 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, Virginia 22209

More information on the show here

I think this came out great! Potentially, this could also be an interactive game. Don’t have a smartphone? Capture 3 ghosts and unlock the URL.   Update: Jacques even suggested you could play this at a bus stop while you were waiting for your ride.

This is a follow up to this experimental piece from a year ago - http://qrarts.com/2010/05/qr-pacman/

What do you see when you look at a designer QR code ?   To repeat a answers I issued here (see below)

1. Q1: Some of these codes dont work on my phone:

As Design Experiments, some of these codes don’t have the same requirements as corporate pieces. Besides the point that its impossible to optimize for every viewing condition and handset + app combination, we do the best we can.  For client work, we have a through Quality Assurance procedure that certified that the codes work of the largest number of scanners and handsets. However, if you make a code out of 300 + bottle caps, you do the best you can.  Also, some scanners are better then others, etc. We highly recommend  I-nigma, Qrafter, Optiscan, Neoreader, and QRdeCode for designer codes. If you have a blackberry, get a new phone out of principle.

2. Q2: These are stupid. This is a waste of money and useless.

We got you to look at them, didn’t we ?  I am going to write another article on this topic, but briefly, I personally believe that adding a human element to a code makes them more relatable, and it adds a wow factor where people get excited about scanning them.

3. Q3:  Yes, But isn’t the real value of a code about the User Experience behind the code? These are missing the point.

UX is the most important part, YES!  However, if no one scans your code, you miss out, no ? A designer code, even if you consider it silly, is sometimes the difference between someone scanning your code and not.  I have always personally viewed QR as a tool to add to your marketing mix. If you can breathe life into a QR code, why wouldn’t you. Adding a brands colors and graphic identity transfers brand equity to your code, and tells guests that you took the time to design and work on the full experience they are about to undertake. So in a way, as a barrier to entry, a designer QR code is the MOST and LEAST important part of the process.

4. Q4: Yes, but what about MsTags?

We do those too !  Check here.to see a few   Again, we focus on mobile user experiences and strategy. Mobile Barcodes are an an important part of that puzzle that gets people to where they need to be where they can continue to interact with your brand.

In Addition:

I have seen some designer codes that don’t work ( I will admit to some of my earlier work was less then perfect), QR codes that have been reproduced in a way that are non-functional, and QR codes that people don’t use – but people still LOVE them.  What is this about?  Or are the enthusiasts loving the idea of codes more then the content and brands that the codes link to? Are people bashing designer codes just because it falls outside of their business capabilities?

I think an interesting side effect of companies that are using QR codes (and other 2d barcodes ) is that it is giving institutions an image of being forward thinking.  And as codes are becoming more artistic, they are becoming sub-branded logos without the affordance of being a code, which is really remarkable. Ex. Most people who know QR know the LV qr mark, but I only know a handful of people that have scanned it.  People accept them as standalone pieces, and then accept the brand. ( I am ignoring the user bias argument here of only QR people know what QR is, and is it an effective tool. Lets make that an yes assumption for the sake of this post.  )

I think this is an interesting to look at the perceived value of the following pieces of the QR system.

• Front end: (QR code) First impression, value of the brand, value of the code
• Back end: (mobile web) In depth interaction with ones brand, connection to web presence

The combination of these two elements creates a better experience with brands. And the code is not scanned, the second more valuable step never occurs.

However, QR codes are part of the bigger discussion about mobile marketing, user experience, and comprehensive integrated media campaigns. As long as a branded QR code adds more value to a campaign then it takes away, I don’t see the argument against them. If the code does not work, this is an obvious liability. However, if a designer QR code can make the difference between a scan and someone walking by, it seems like a great investment. If a designer QR code speaks to someone where it leaves a good memory with a user and allows them to search and interact with your product later on, I think its a good investment. If a designer Qr Code becomes an asset in a firms graphic identity package that is used as a reoccurring element throughout their campaign to create better mobile engagement programs that drive results and customer loyalty, I think its a great investment.

The people showing designer QR codes are NOT arguing that UX does not matter. Customer centricity is the basis of mobile marketing in general. We are just taking things to the next level to provide better User Experiences and go the extra mile for our clients.  The end goal is always to connect people with brands. Designer QR codes are a simple but effective way to allow people to participate with your campaign, and get them excited abotu scanning your code in the first place.

-Patrick Donnelly

This was made a long time ago. People ask what creative stuff can you do with QR codes? As said over and over again, its just a portal. But context and user experience (UX) are the most important elements. This code is not as attractive as many of our other codes, but its something unique and clever that people smile at before they scan.  The call to action is self- evident by design.  If you have 10 minutes, I challenge you to complete the first ever QRossword puzzle!  PDF here if needed for better resolution. X5_blank_qr

Again, make a QR code experience that makes sense and adds value to your mobile campaign.

Patrick Donnelly