Qr Code Encounter

Recently I went to a local sports bar and grill for dinner, and while walking in I noticed a 2D barcode posted by the front door. It was unusual and interesting enough to catch my eye, but not enough to get me to stop and figure out what it was for. When we sat down, there was a tabletop display with the same 2D barcode (aka QR or matrix barcode) on it. It turned out to be an advertisement for a new iPhone application created by Langford Media to promote local businesses.

My dinner companion pulled out his iPhone to see if he could find an application to scan the 2D barcode with the phone's camera. While he fiddled with that, I pulled up the app store on my phone and downloaded the application. (He eventually was able to scan the barcode and locate the application but it took significantly longer than it did for me to manually type in the URL.)

The application launched with a good collection of downtown businesses, including restaurants, bars, and local shopping. By default, the bar and coffee shop categories are hidden under the More option. It's possible to change which categories are displayed in the bottom tabs, but the interface for doing so is not easy to find and not obvious to use. You have to drag icons from the display space onto the bottom tab bar, but changes don't take effect until the app is reopened.

On the good side, the business profiles are useful. You get the address, phone number and hours of operations, plus a link to the business website, links to social media, and menus for many of the restaurants. (Dear restaurants, images of your menus don't work well at all on most mobile devices.) My favorite feature on the business profile page is a twitter stream for the business if one is available. I was surprised by how many local businesses are using twitter. Even better was seeing how many local businesses are using twitter to promote each other.

So, 2D barcodes can get attention if they are displayed at a sufficiently large size, but you should always include other information to help locate your service.

Sam, thanks for the shout out about the app and QR code usage! I’m guessing you have the latest version of the app. Also, thank you for the input on the tab configuring, we are always looking to improve and for feedback.

-Jacinta L.