QR codes are a useful means of connecting offline print material to online digital content and can help with outreach, but careful attention to the mobile user experience is necessary for them to be effective, so says AmeriCorps VISTA’s Treci Johnson.
To leverage QR codes, Johnson (who is a marketing and outreach specialist in the Corporation for National & Community Service) recommends a call to action offering consumers something they want by scanning the barcode – telling them in effect what it is and how to use it as well as making it big enough so it’s easy to scan- provide a mobile friendly experience, offer social media sharing options, and consider multimedia features such as video to deliver a message.
In a post on DigitalGov.gov, Johnson said she tracked down the inventor of the smartphone barcode, Masahiro Hara, in an effort to determine how long this technology might remain relevant. Hara said maybe ten years until it’s replaced by something better. For now this simple and easy to use technology is a good way to drive users from print to mobile content.
