It’s the 21st century. We are the digital age. But does print have to be dead? Do we all need to be tech-savvy to read? Are we doomed to continue the print vs digital war that wages on or can we all get along? The answer: Quick Response (QR) Codes – the light at the end of the tunnel, the perfect combination of forms of media.
QR Codes are 2D barcodes storing small amounts of data that, when scanned through a device, lead to a digital source. Think of them as DVD extras for books. Take Cool Springs Press’ title The Visitor’s Guide to American Gardens for example; an information book equipped with QR codes on each page that lead the reader’s to each garden’s website for up-to-date information on events and attractions and essentially ‘provide additional value to the reading public’ (Boyle, 2013).
This emerging technology is simple enough to use, requiring only a smartphone with a camera and an app that reads QR codes (via Apple’s iOS7 and Android’s partnership with Google Now), but has struggled to stay relevant in digital trends. With the increase in smartphones it seems realistic to expect the usage of QR codes to increase simultaneously, yet statistics show otherwise. A year after their introduction into magazine prints, usability fell from 85% in April 2012 to 65% at the end of the year (Nellymoser, 2013). Similarly in 2013 only 18% of UK smartphones users were scanning QR codes, with only 23% of those returning (Marketingcharts, 2013). (Nielsen Global Smartphone Insights).
SO WHY IS THIS BOOKFUTURIST TECHNIQUE GOING TO WASTE AND HOW CAN IT BE RECTIFIED?
1. Problem - Content: Timothy Boyle questions the effectiveness of QR codes, commenting that ‘they only usually link to the [publisher/company] desktop home page’ (Boyle, 2013) adding no value to the reader’s experience.
Solution: Essentially the aim is to make the reading experience more enjoyable so publishers and author’s need to choose what they think would interest their reader’s, such as, full colour illustrations (saving money on print also), deleted/alternative scenes (Picott, 2011), other character perspectives, settings, histories etc.
2. Problem - Placement: Should these codes be placed on the jacket – where they are overlooked or forgotten about, or in the text itself – for them to ‘draw readers’ eyes away from the text itself’ (Nawotka, 2011)?
Solution: Embedding them in the text when the reader’s interest in the subject of the code is at its peak would incur greater usage ‘provided they are discreet enough’ (Nawotka, 2011).
3. Problem - Aesthetics: Despite what marketers clearly believe, these ugly little boxes barcodes aren’t visually pleasing.
Solution: There’s nothing a little play in Photoshop can’t fix!
4. Problem - Consumer awareness: A study on 534 college students found that 78.5% did not know how to use them (Wilkerson, 2012). And if the most tech-savvy age group can’t, can anyone?
Solution: This is easily mended by adding a list of instructions at the beginning of the book
Words: 499
Bibliography:
Boyle, T., 2013. Reason Magazine and QR Codes in Printed Publications. Qfuse, [online] 6 May. Available at: http://qfuse.com/blog/reason-magazine-and-qr-codes-in-printed-publications
Marketingstaff, 2013. QR Code Scanning Not Yet a Mainstream Activity For US Smartphone Users. Marketing Charts, [online] 28 February. Available at: http://www.marketingcharts.com/uncategorized/qr-code-scanning-not-yet-a-mainstream-activity-for-us-smartphone-users-27349/
Nawotka, E., 2011. Will QR Codes Become The Standard For Enhancing Print Books? Publishing Perspectives, [online] 16 August. Available at: http://publishingperspectives.com/2011/08/will-qr-codes-become-the-standard-for-enhancing-print-books/
Nellymoser, 2013. Print to Mobile Sees Emergence of Image Recognition and Augmented Reality in 2012. Nellymoser, [online] 10 April. Available at: http://www.nellymoser.com/press-release/print-to-mobile-sees-emergence-of-image-recognition-and-augmented-reality-in-2012 and http://www.marketingcharts.com/online/data-dive-qr-codes-29525/
Picott, C., 2011. Using QR Codes to Expand The Reading Experience. The Book Designer, [online] 10 June. Available at: http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2011/06/using-qr-codes-to-expand-the-reading-experience/
Strout, A., 2013. 5 Reasons QR Codes Might Not Be As Dead As We Think. Marketing Land, [online] 14 November. Available at http://marketingland.com/5-reason-qr-codes-may-not-be-as-dead-as-we-think-63997
Wilkerson, D., 2012. Reason QR Codes Are Broken. Mashable, [online] 17 May. Available at: http://mashable.com/2012/05/17/reasons-qr-codes-are-broken/
QR Codes are 2D barcodes storing small amounts of data that, when scanned through a device, lead to a digital source. Think of them as DVD extras for books. Take Cool Springs Press’ title The Visitor’s Guide to American Gardens for example; an information book equipped with QR codes on each page that lead the reader’s to each garden’s website for up-to-date information on events and attractions and essentially ‘provide additional value to the reading public’ (Boyle, 2013).
This emerging technology is simple enough to use, requiring only a smartphone with a camera and an app that reads QR codes (via Apple’s iOS7 and Android’s partnership with Google Now), but has struggled to stay relevant in digital trends. With the increase in smartphones it seems realistic to expect the usage of QR codes to increase simultaneously, yet statistics show otherwise. A year after their introduction into magazine prints, usability fell from 85% in April 2012 to 65% at the end of the year (Nellymoser, 2013). Similarly in 2013 only 18% of UK smartphones users were scanning QR codes, with only 23% of those returning (Marketingcharts, 2013). (Nielsen Global Smartphone Insights).
SO WHY IS THIS BOOKFUTURIST TECHNIQUE GOING TO WASTE AND HOW CAN IT BE RECTIFIED?
1. Problem - Content: Timothy Boyle questions the effectiveness of QR codes, commenting that ‘they only usually link to the [publisher/company] desktop home page’ (Boyle, 2013) adding no value to the reader’s experience.
Solution: Essentially the aim is to make the reading experience more enjoyable so publishers and author’s need to choose what they think would interest their reader’s, such as, full colour illustrations (saving money on print also), deleted/alternative scenes (Picott, 2011), other character perspectives, settings, histories etc.
2. Problem - Placement: Should these codes be placed on the jacket – where they are overlooked or forgotten about, or in the text itself – for them to ‘draw readers’ eyes away from the text itself’ (Nawotka, 2011)?
Solution: Embedding them in the text when the reader’s interest in the subject of the code is at its peak would incur greater usage ‘provided they are discreet enough’ (Nawotka, 2011).
3. Problem - Aesthetics: Despite what marketers clearly believe, these ugly little boxes barcodes aren’t visually pleasing.
Solution: There’s nothing a little play in Photoshop can’t fix!
4. Problem - Consumer awareness: A study on 534 college students found that 78.5% did not know how to use them (Wilkerson, 2012). And if the most tech-savvy age group can’t, can anyone?
Solution: This is easily mended by adding a list of instructions at the beginning of the book
Words: 499
Bibliography:
Boyle, T., 2013. Reason Magazine and QR Codes in Printed Publications. Qfuse, [online] 6 May. Available at: http://qfuse.com/blog/reason-magazine-and-qr-codes-in-printed-publications
Marketingstaff, 2013. QR Code Scanning Not Yet a Mainstream Activity For US Smartphone Users. Marketing Charts, [online] 28 February. Available at: http://www.marketingcharts.com/uncategorized/qr-code-scanning-not-yet-a-mainstream-activity-for-us-smartphone-users-27349/
Nawotka, E., 2011. Will QR Codes Become The Standard For Enhancing Print Books? Publishing Perspectives, [online] 16 August. Available at: http://publishingperspectives.com/2011/08/will-qr-codes-become-the-standard-for-enhancing-print-books/
Nellymoser, 2013. Print to Mobile Sees Emergence of Image Recognition and Augmented Reality in 2012. Nellymoser, [online] 10 April. Available at: http://www.nellymoser.com/press-release/print-to-mobile-sees-emergence-of-image-recognition-and-augmented-reality-in-2012 and http://www.marketingcharts.com/online/data-dive-qr-codes-29525/
Picott, C., 2011. Using QR Codes to Expand The Reading Experience. The Book Designer, [online] 10 June. Available at: http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2011/06/using-qr-codes-to-expand-the-reading-experience/
Strout, A., 2013. 5 Reasons QR Codes Might Not Be As Dead As We Think. Marketing Land, [online] 14 November. Available at http://marketingland.com/5-reason-qr-codes-may-not-be-as-dead-as-we-think-63997
Wilkerson, D., 2012. Reason QR Codes Are Broken. Mashable, [online] 17 May. Available at: http://mashable.com/2012/05/17/reasons-qr-codes-are-broken/