Ever opened WhatsApp on your PC or Laptop by scanning a black square box that seems to be colored unevenly in pixels? Well, that square box is nothing but a QR code. QR code is a 2-Dimensional bar code in the form of a matrix. It is like a label that can be read by machines to fetch the needed information they contain. Just like a barcode, which is 1-dimensional, is read using a scanner, a QR code can be scanned using our phones.
What is the Full Form of the QR Code?
QR code stands for Quick Response Code. They contain information in encoded form. Since QR codes allow one to access information both horizontally and vertically, they are faster than the traditional bar codes. This is essentially why they are called ‘Quick Response‘ codes. QR codes contain data related to an item or act as a tracker or locator to point to a particular website or application. The encodings that are often used in a QR code are numeric, alphanumeric, byte, and Kanji.
History of QR Code
- The 1960s, with a huge spark in business activities, was the beginning of economic growth in Japan. Not only the variety and quantity of commodities increased but it also increased the number of customers.
- However, this rapid growth did not match the old ways of checking out used at stores at that time. Typing the prices of products manually was not only a problem for cashiers, but it also slowed down the entire process.
- Thus, there was a need for something that could do the task of reading and writing prices automatically. That is when barcodes came into existence. Needless to say, barcodes were used to scan the price of an item using a scanner, and the price was automatically updated in the list.
- Barcodes are now used at almost every outlet and mall to scan objects, feed the price into the computer and generate the bill in seconds. However, the information they can store is very limited.
- That is when Denso, the company behind the production of QR codes, was contacted to ask if they could do something to increase the amount of information these barcodes can store. And thus, the process of developing QR codes, with a much higher range and variety of data storage, began.
- The development of this 2-Dimensional QR code was undertaken by a team of only two people, Masahiro Hara being one of them. Although they knew that by adding information in 2-directions, the storage capacity would increase, keeping it fast was still a challenge.
- However, soon, the idea to add some extra information to speed up the process came into being. This extra information was stored in no other place than the 3 square eyes you see on a QR code.
- But another important thing to be kept in mind was the uniqueness of design. For this, a lot of materials were analyzed, and it was found that the ratio of 1:1:3:1:1 was the least used ratio of black and white.
- Afterward, it was in 1994, that Denso Wave released the QR code. At first, the QR code was used by the auto industry for managing their products and soon, when Denso Wave made the QR codes free to use, they became popular all over the world.
- It was in 2002 that even the countrymen of Japan were using the QR code using mobile phones and with QR codes being an integral part of businesses today, the rest is history.
Types of QR Codes
There are two types of QR codes depending on the way they store information, namely static QR codes and dynamic QR codes.
- Static QR Code: As the name says, a static QR code can’t be changed. It is fixed. This means that once a static QR code is created, it can’t be edited. Also, these codes grow in complexity and size if the amount of information stored in them is increased. Thus, they tend to slow down a bit. It is advisable to use static QR codes for one-time use like serial number or check-in information.
- Dynamic QR Code: A dynamic QR code can be changed even after creation. In other words, you can edit or make changes to this QR code as many times as needed. This is because the information stored in these QR codes is in the form of a URL. Upon scanning, the user is simply redirected to this URL where the required information can be found. This is why they are way faster than static QR codes. It is advisable to use dynamic QR codes for tracking purposes and product labels.
Characteristics of a QR Code
A QR code is very versatile and is found useful in a number of places owing to its unique features. These include:
- Alphanumeric, Kanji, as well as Kana Data Storage: Unlike a barcode, a QR code can contain information in not just alphanumeric data, but also in the Kanji and Kana characters. This makes them hold more data than any other 2-Dimesional symbol can hold.
- 360 Degrees Readability: The 3 square eyes that are present on a QR code, work as a position detection system. This makes them readable from any direction at all 360 degrees at high speed.
- High Data Storage Capacity: A QR code can hold much more data than conventional bar codes, that is, many hundred times more than the 20 digits that barcodes can store. Moreover, not just characters, it can also hold other things like binary digits, codes, and web links.
- Appending Data within One QR Code: A QR code can store a variety of data as it allows the division of area within itself. Thus, one area can be used for printing purposes when the area of printing is not much.
- Error Correction: A QR code can be read efficiently even if it is damaged in some area or if it is covered in dirt.
- Small print Size: Since the barcodes were only horizontal, they took more space than what a QR code can easily fit. Moreover, for even smaller spaces, micro QR codes are available.
Uses of a QR Code
Here are some broad examples where a QR code can be used:
- Professional Information: Say you want to build a personal brand. Then, there must be some way in which people can reach out to you for business. Traditionally, this is done via giving out an email address or a phone number. However, using a QR code, all such information to contact you can be stored in one place and anyone interested can scan it to read that information.
- Storing URLs: Businesses whether small or large, use some kind of websites or blogs to spread awareness about their product and generate leads. This URL, if directly typed onto a product, is not efficient enough. A better way would be to embed the URL in a QR code so that the user is redirected to the website itself on scanning the QR code.
- Banks and Payment: Understanding this can’t be difficult if you have used the Paytm scan code to make payments. It is nothing but a QR code with information about a person’s/business’s bank details. Imagine how inefficient it would be if people had to manually tell or write down bank account details for making small payments.
- Connecting to a Wi-Fi Network: If you go to a cafe and need to use their Wi-Fi, you will usually find a QR code that you can scan to connect to the Wi-Fi. This eliminates the need to know the Wi-Fi password. Simply saying, this QR code will have all the details like password, encryption Id, etc.
- Authentication: Once registered, a user can simply scan a QR code to log in every time. QR codes are also used for two-step verification and for logging in to several web versions of apps like WhatsApp and Telegram.
Advantages of QR Code
A QR code offers various advantages over traditional bar codes and other forms of sharing information as text. Here are some of them:
- Stores complex information like bank account numbers and URLs, thus, eliminating the need to type them all manually whenever needed.
- No matter what the use, a QR code is always fast and processes the results fairly quickly.
- QR codes are highly beneficial for businesses to derive customers and generate leads. They are a fun way of delivering important information.
- It also eliminated the need of printing things on paper.
- QR codes are free to use, and one does not require coding skills to use them.
- It can store huge amounts of information. Also, the type of data they can store ranges from numbers and letters to even binary numbers.
- QR codes are very easy to use and scan. Anyone can scan them since they can be read fairly simply from any direction and in a blink of an eye.
- Since businesses can use them to connect to their websites, QR codes provide better information about customers, conversion funnels, and related data.
- Like in the case of a barcode, a special scanner is not needed for QR codes. They can simply be scanned using mobile phones.
- QR codes are low or rather no maintenance since they work even when a bit damaged or dirty. Thus, making them suitable for outlets like cafes and hotels for not just payment, but even for say providing menus, and Wi-Fi connectivity.
Disadvantages of QR Code
QR codes have evolved enormously over the years but there is still some room for improvement. Here are some places where QR codes lose their cool:
- Some people go by the traditional methods of advertising and do not even bother to notice and thereby scan a QR code.
- Like the traditional barcode, some people consider it as a code not for their own use and thus, neglect it.
All in all, there is a need to spread awareness about this technology and tell people how it is useful for them. Rest, QR codes are a wonderful invention.