QR Code Research

Discovering the barriers to scanning QR Codes through UX Research

Why QR Codes?

I think QR codes are a fun and quick way to access a piece of information.  When I was first playing with the idea of researching the usability of QR codes for my master's thesis, I asked friends about how they felt, and the answers ranged from absolutely hating them to thinking they have a futuristic feel to them.  This made me more interested to try to understand why people would hate QR codes!

While we may be able to recognize QR codes, we still encounter barriers to scanning them.  Even before the scanning process, it's important to understand the feelings and intentions behind the process which in turn could prevent a user from scanning the QR code.

Did you know...?

QR codes were created in 1994
ROLE
​UX Researcher
​Survey Designer
SKILLS
Survey Creation
Qualitative Analysis
Quantitative Analysis
TOOLS
Qualtrics
University MassMail
Microsoft Excel
PARTICIPANT SAMPLE
196 Undergraduate and Graduate Students

Background Research

QR codes are used for a variety of reasons, and in countries where QR code usage is high, it is typically used for marketing purposes and for mobile payments. CNN Business reported that in 2016, China’s QR code usage for transactions amounted to over 1.5 trillion USD (Wang, 2017).  From the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), it is important to understand the perceptions of and attitudes toward QR codes because this can determine whether or not a user will scan the QR code (Charness, 2016).

My literature review focused on three points:
  • QR Codes in the Marketplace – thinking about how QR codes are used globally (for payments and more information)
  • Attitudes and Perceptions – how users feel about QR codes (example: risky or innovative)
  • Acceptance and Intent – user acceptance and intent of use is higher when there is perceived benefit to scanning
Charness, N., & Boot, W. R. (2016). Technology, gaming, and social networking. Handbook of the psychology of aging (pp. 389–407). Elsevier.
Wang, S. (2017, September 8). Why China can’t get enough of QR codes. CNN Business. Retrieved from https://money.cnn.com/2017/09/08/technology/china- qr-codes/index.html 

Research Question

What are the perceptions of QR codes among college students in the United States?
​

Hypothesis

If participants have previously used a QR code, they are more likely to have a positive perception of QR codes

Project Goals

A subset of related questions were translated into project goals, which were 
  • to find out the barriers to scanning QR codes
  • how well QR codes are known among college students (convenience sample)
  • where they encounter QR codes
  • how interested they are in using QR codes
  • how likely they are to use QR codes in the future

Survey Development

For the survey, I used Qualtrics since the service is already provided to the school for use at no cost and it also offers analytical features.  The survey questions were structured to gather data for the project goals and asked
  • Have you seen a QR code before?  If yes, please describe 2-3 times you have encountered them, whether or not you used them
  • When is the last time you have seen a QR code? 
  • Have you used a QR code before?  If yes, please describe 2-3 times you have used them
  • Do you like using QR codes?  (Y/N) Please explain why
  • 7-point Likert scale to ask about user perceptions
  • What brand of cellular device do you own?

Sample & Recruitment

The sample was a convenience sample of students who attended college at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  Emails were sent through listservs to different departments and the University’s MassMail for participant recruitment. Participants also had the opportunity to be entered into a drawing to receive compensation of $10 for completing the survey.  To maintain anonymity of the participants, it was noted to participants that once the study was completed and the contact information is no longer needed, the names and contact information would be permanently deleted.

These were the following recruitment requirements:
  • students 18 and older
  • can be a undergraduate or graduate student
  • must be a student of  The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
    ​
​This project was reviewed by the UNC Institutional Review Board, IRB Study # 19-3219 and determined to be exempt from federal human subjects research regulations prior to distribution of the survey.

Demographic Data

STUDENT STATUS
Undergraduate = 65%
​Graduate = 35%
​
​
GENDER
Female = 81%
Male = 16%
Non-Binary = 3%
​
AGE
18-22 = 65%
23-27 = 19%
28-32 = 11%
33-46 = 5%  
FIELD OF STUDY
Fine Arts & Hum = 7%
Natural Sci & Math. = 19%
Social Sciences = 38%
Health Sciences = 36%

Key Findings

Let's check out the quantitative and qualitative analysis from the results of the survey!
Have you seen a QR code before?
If yes, please describe 2-3 times you have encountered them, whether or not you used them
100% of participants have seen a QR code before
Most participants noted encountering QR codes on campus, in class, in stores, and in museums
Have you used a QR code before?
If yes, please describe 2-3 times you have encountered them, whether or not you used them
83% of participants have previously used a QR code
Most participants noted using QR codes on through flyers, social media, ads, links to access forms/websites, surveys, product labels and coupons
When is the last time you have seen a QR code?
41% of participants noted that they have seen a QR code within the last month
Do you like using QR codes?  Yes/No
Please explain why
63% of participants indicated they liked using QR codes
Those who indicated they did not like using QR codes noted reasons such as it would require them to download an app, they preferred to type in a URL or search for it online, or they are confused about how to scan them.
37% of participants indicated they did not like using QR codes
The most popular sentiments were because they were easy, convenient, quick and simple to use.  Other words used to describe why they liked them were "futuristic", "handy", and "high information density".
What brand of cellular device do you own?
79%: Apple , 16%: Android , 4%: Google , 1%: Other
This question was particularly important because depending on the user's answer, it would qualify the participant for recruitment into the second half of my study.  Users who had an Apple device would have been randomly selected for participation in the second half of the study since the device was compatible for screen recording by connection through the iPhone lightning cord while the user completed the task of scanning a QR code. 
The users were asked to rate the following statements (in green) using a 7-point Likert Scale
--
I think QR codes are cool
I think QR codes are useful
I think QR codes are risky
I am technologically savvy
Strongly Agree
12%
21.5%
0%
13%
Agree
31%
44%
2%
36%
Somewhat Agree
22%
21.5%
12%
30%
Neither Agree nor Disagree
21%
9%
33%
10%
Somewhat Disagree
7%
1%
16%
8%
Disagree
4%
2%
29%
2%
Strongly Disagree
3%
1%
8%
1%

Study Limitations

​Originally the study was supposed to have two phases, phase one which was the survey to gather a generalized understanding of the perceptions of QR codes, and phase two which was going to be a usability study asking participants to think-aloud while completing the task of scanning a QR code. Due to time limitations and the COVID-19 pandemic, the scope of the study had to be reduced to only recruiting participants for the first phase.  The study was completed in April 2020.

Conclusions

Revisiting my hypothesis that participants who have previously used a QR code are more likely to have a positive perception of QR codes, I found that of the 167 participants who have used a QR code
  • 72% of users indicated that they did like using QR codes
  • 79% of users rated that they somewhat agreed, agreed, or strongly agreed that QR codes are cool
  • 98% of users rated that they somewhat agreed, agreed, or strongly agreed that QR codes are useful

From the follow-up question asking participants to explain why they did not like QR codes, many reported that they did not have a QR code scanner app, did not want to download the app, do not seem useful, or they preferred to type in the link or search for it online. According to Ratna (Ratna, 2020), Apple updated the iPhone in 2017 to have a native QR code scanner within the camera app, and the Android 8, which also came out in 2017, has native QR scanning capabilities. If the study would have been able to deploy the second phase (usability study), the think-aloud may have been able to capture the feelings and possible misunderstandings of how users go through the process of scanning QR codes.
Ratna, S. (2020, April 21). How to scan QR codes with Android phones (With Pictures): Android 9, Android 8 and below. Beaconstac. Retrieved April 22, 2020, from https://blog.beaconstac.com/2019/03/how-to-scan-qr-codes-with-android-phones/ 

Check out my other projects
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© 2021 Teresa Phan