The QR code is not just a barcode. The QR code is not just a neat new way to link to your website.
I think the QR code represents something bigger.
If we think about the past two decades, we can all agree that the Internet has been a HUGE factor in what has caused the world to change so dramatically. The Internet represents a major milestone in human achievement, and also a major shift in the way we learn, consume, store and relate to information. We now have access to an incredible volume of information on any subject matter.
With the invention and wide spread adoption of the smartphone, human beings are now able to walk around with more information than any single human could store in their mind.
Now we are able to tap IMDB to remember “that actor’s name,” we’re able to Google information about various landmarks, and we can use Yelp to find a good pizza restaurant within walking distance.
Our physical world is littered with information. Every building, every traffic intersection, every piece of art and every person has a story. There is data about everything in our physical world, and until recently it was locked in the retelling of events through spoken word, pictures on someone’s computer or rolls of film, long forgotten press releases and news clips.
The QR code is a bridge between the physical and the digital world.
Location based services are exciting, augmented reality has a ton of potential, but the QR code represents a deliberate bridge between something we experience in the physical world to something we can gain extra information about online.
In the same way that we can curate content using RSS aggregators and Twitter lists, we can curate information about our physical world and then provide a link between the physical space and the information online. This is the BIG picture of QR codes.
As this technology gains wider acceptance and usage, we’ll see new and creative ways in which QR codes are deployed. Here are a few examples happening right now:
Cemeteries in Japan
Some people in Japan are using QR codes to tell the story of their lost loved ones in a way that no tombstone ever could. The QR code can link to a photo album, to a blog, or to videos. If the deceased passed away due to cancer, the link can go to a cancer research fund. If it can exist on the Internet it can be bridged with a QR code; the possibilities are nearly endless.
Musicians
Many musicians are realizing the power of QR codes, either by putting a QR code to buy tickets on the concert poster, or a link to a sample song and even in some cases, a special video message.
Think about if a band put a QR code on their poster with a link to a YouTube video of their last concert at the same venue they’re going to be playing. The video shows them totally rocking out! The crowd is going insane! Think how that could boost ticket sales.
Art
Some museums and galleries are putting QR codes next to the art that links back to the artist’s online portfolio, a wikipedia entry about the artist or even a page describing the story behind the individual piece of art. What started as an experience of viewing a single piece of art could be transformed into a new level of appreciation.
Think Big
When we think about the QR code, we should keep in mind the extraordinary opportunity we have to enhance our real world environments. Don’t just write it off as this “new trendy barcode.” The QR code will be what we make of it. I for one am thinking BIG.
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As a side note, I wrote this entire post on my iPad as my Macbook Pro is being fixed right now. It was a much more pleasurable experience than I expected.