What Is a QR Code?

Tech Talker listener Sharon wrote in this week asking what QR codes are and how they’re used. I thought this would make an excellent topic for a podcast episode..

What Is a QR Code?

QR code stands for “Quick Response Code.” This is basically the upgraded version of a barcode that you can find on almost every item at any store. Barcodes are used to store information about the item which can then be checked against a computerized database.

Barcodes are one dimensional in that they are just light and dark colored bars these bars can hold approximately 25 characters of text. This was fine when barcodes were initially created, but as almost every industry began adopting them, it became pretty clear that the amount of information that could be stored in 25 characters was pretty limited.

This is where the QR code comes in.

Originally created for automotive manufacturers, the QR code can hold substantially more data than a traditional barcode. This is due to the fact that a QR code is two dimensional. Instead of just bars, a QR code is made up of patterns of squares. This pattern allows for substantially more information to be stored in the image (around 4,000 characters).

To put 4,000 characters into perspective, that’s about a full page of text on a single piece of paper! What’s even cooler about QR codes is that they have error correction built into them so that if a portion of the code is distorted or missing, you are still able to read the message.

How Are QR Codes Used?

So now that we understand a little bit more about QR codes, let’s step into the world of mobile devices. The technical difference between a QR code and a barcode has to do with how it’s read. Without going into exhaustive detail, barcodes only require a laser in a line to read a barcode. Due to the fact that QR codes are two dimensional, a device needs to have an image processor (aka, camera) in order to read the information they contain.

Now that almost every smartphone has a high resolution camera, it is extremely easy for smartphones and tablets to be able to read these codes. You simply download an app onto your phone – I use Scan.me which works on just about every mobile device. Once you have the app, you snap a picture of a QR code and your device will display a ton of information.

The QR code can do a lot of things, such as adding contact information to your phone, opening a website, showing you WiFi settings, and a whole lot more.

So why aren’t you using QR codes?

Why Aren’t You Using QR Codes?

The downside is that no mobile technology company has integrated QR codes natively into their operating system (I’m looking at you Microsoft, Google, and Apple)! This is the killer for QR codes.

Without native support from smartphone developers, using QR codes always requires installing a special app on your device. Because of the amount of effort required to use a specific app on your phone to scan a QR code, it is generally more effort than it’s worth for most consumers.

Furthermore, because QR codes are two dimensional, they take up more space than a traditional barcode on a product package. This makes them less appetizing for package designers – unless they’re required for a specific reason. That’s why marketing departments and businesses have opted to use SMS messaging for advertising instead. After all, it’s much easier to text a number to receive information than it is to scan a QR code for many people.

These factors have stunted the expansion of QR code usage, which is kind of sad seeing as how they’re a major improvement on the traditional barcode.

If this wasn’t enough, QR codes also got a bad rap a few years ago when they were blamed for spreading a virus. Remember how I said that QR codes could take you websites? Well, a clever individual made their QR code direct users to a website with a virus embeded into it.

See also: Can My Smartphone Get a Virus?

From there, vulnerable devices were infected, or the user was tricked into giving up their private information or buying something from a fake website. Even though this attack was not extremely widespread, it still picked up quite a bit of media attention. This was yet another black eye for the QR code.

All of this aside, I still think that QR codes are pretty awesome. In fact they’re super easy to make too. The website I mentioned earlier, Scan.me, has an easy to use QR code generator that you can use to make your own codes.

Even if you don’t want to market a product, they are still pretty cool to use. One awesome application I’ve seen was to use QR codes in a scavenger hunt where clues were embeded into each code. It was pretty amazing. I also think they are a cool feature to add to a business card so that anyone who receives your card could scan the code and learn more about you or your product.

The Quick and Dirty on QR Codes

With that, here are you 3 Quick and Dirty Tips about QR codes:

1. QR codes hold way more data than traditional barcodes.

2. QR codes have seen a decline in usage partly due to lack of integration into existing mobile operating systems.

3. Creating your own QR code is super easy. Just head on over to Scan.me and create your own to put on your business card or product.

Have you ever used a QR code? Do you have a QR code app on your phone? If so, I’d love to hear about your experience with this underutilized technology!

Well, that’s it for today! Be sure to check out all my earlier episodes at quickanddirtytips.com/techtalker. And if you have further questions about this podcast or want to make a suggestion for a future episode, post them on Facebook QDTtechtalker.

Until next time, I’m the Tech Talker, keeping technology simple!

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Smartphone scanning QR code and QR code scan images courtesy of Shutterstock.