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While I like the look of the customized QR Codes, they make it harder for the scanners to read them. A lot harder. Most of the ones I've seen couldn't be read

While I like the look of the customized QR Codes, they make it harder for the scanners to read them. A lot harder. Most of the ones I've seen couldn't be read at all. The one pictured there, I had to get it perfectly lined up and filling the screen before my phone read it. On the other hand, I generate normal QR Codes to scan all the time and I can hold my phone off-center and far away and they scan instantly. Is the extra prettiness really worth the extra hassle for the (potential) customer? Edit: After reading the comment by hamiltonchan, I decided to try scanning the link again. It appears that from some angles, my phone WILL scan it instantly. There's just 1 angle that makes it tough for some reason. (From down and to the right.) I just happened to hit that angle first. I tried quite a few more times and that's the only angle that lags, and it has never been as hard as the the first time again.

there 15y ago
what phone/app are you using? barcode scanner on my nexus s was able to read it right away off my screen, at a weird angle.
- wccrawford 15y ago
  Samsung Galaxy S. I'm sure other factors are involved, too, but my point stands: Why make it harder on the customer? You can't assume that every customer will have a pristine image to scan, or that they have a nice phone, etc etc. QR was designed with redundancy to help the customer, but this defeats that.
mikle 15y ago
Even if your original statement is correct, I think bar code scanners will quickly improve to accommodate it. My bar code scanner on a Desire took a few seconds more than usual too.
evilduck 15y ago
I assume they're making an aesthetic trade off to keep the QR "noise" appearance down. They could increase the grid size giving them more alignment patterns to assist with skewed scans, but it reduces the aesthetic appeal since it returns to looking more like a barcode.

there 15y ago

what phone/app are you using? barcode scanner on my nexus s was able to read it right away off my screen, at a weird angle.

wccrawford 15y ago
Samsung Galaxy S. I'm sure other factors are involved, too, but my point stands: Why make it harder on the customer? You can't assume that every customer will have a pristine image to scan, or that they have a nice phone, etc etc. QR was designed with redundancy to help the customer, but this defeats that.

mikle 15y ago

Even if your original statement is correct, I think bar code scanners will quickly improve to accommodate it. My bar code scanner on a Desire took a few seconds more than usual too.

evilduck 15y ago

I assume they're making an aesthetic trade off to keep the QR "noise" appearance down. They could increase the grid size giving them more alignment patterns to assist with skewed scans, but it reduces the aesthetic appeal since it returns to looking more like a barcode.