I’ve thought this ever since I looked into QR Codes for my Everyone you’ve ever known poster during my third year of CSM. The benefits of QR Codes are obvious - it’s like an automated form of note taking and means people don’t have to scramble to make notes of websites / products / gigs - whatever.

But - I believe there is quite a large limitation. At present, and I would imagine on launch in the UK, QR Codes launch a browser window on your mobile device. The program to scan the codes is relatively simple - like a hyperlink on a web page. Considering the current state of network providers in the UK, chances are most normal people don’t have a data account, and if they do, the bandwidth is relatively small. You don’t always want to check out a product or site there and then.

I might tie this work into my interface work started a while back (when my current projects have eased off). QR Codes are no doubt going to add a form of interaction to printed media (a kind of ‘primitive RFID’), but they are at present highly restrictive and dare I say it, quite simple. Barcodes in their traditional form have been around for years, it’s not a new technology by any means. Rather than the simple ‘barcode on a poster’ format, is there any scope for things to be taken a step forward, while not advancing the physical technology needed to make and read the codes?