Problem Statement
QR codes are now ubiquitous. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated their transition from being seen as “that strange square barcode thing” to becoming a part of our everyday infrastructure. Used for restaurant menus, event tickets, parking payments, vaccine passes, package tracking, and building access. The market for QR codes is projected to reach $35 billion by 2030, reflecting significant growth and innovation potential, which should inspire technology professionals and business owners to explore new developments. However, one key observation is that although QR codes have evolved into a primary interface, the actual user experience associated with them has not advanced at all.
When you scan a QR code on an iPhone, the camera recognizes it, and you receive a notification. By tapping on this notification, you are instantly directed to the URL embedded within the code. There’s no preview or verification step to confirm what you are about to open. This interaction model assumes that QR codes are trustworthy and that instant access is always desirable. While this made sense when QR codes were rare and primarily used for marketing campaigns, it is far less justifiable now that they are widely used for payments, identity verification, and access control.
The absence of a preview is not merely a minor user experience issue; it also poses a security vulnerability. Malicious QR codes can be placed over legitimate ones, and phishing attacks can disguise themselves as restaurant menus or parking payment systems. Even in non-malicious scenarios, there is no way to know whether the code you are scanning is expired or if it will lead you to a mobile-friendly page or prompt a file download. Essentially, you are scanning without visibility.
Context-Specific Previews
For Restaurants/Menus
The preview displays the restaurant’s name, hours, location, and, if available, a rating pulled from Google or Yelp. It also highlights a couple of featured menu items or today’s specials. The “Verified Source” indicator appears if the restaurant is the confirmed owner of that QR code. This preview provides the same information you would expect to see on the cover of a physical menu, giving you enough details to ensure you’re at the right place and that it’s legitimate, helping users feel more confident in their choices.
For Events and Tickets
Security verification becomes the top priority. When you scan a concert or festival ticket, the preview shows the event’s name, date and time, location, ticket type (General Admission, VIP, etc.), and verification status. If the ticket is from a platform like Eventbrite, this is indicated. Additionally, if the ticket is transferable or has an expiration time, that information is visible as well. You can immediately determine if the ticket is valid before attempting to use it for entry, which helps users feel secure and confident in the process.
For Delivery and Logistics
I began considering high-volume, occupation-specific use cases. For delivery drivers scanning 60 or more packages daily, speed and accuracy are crucial. The preview overlay displays the bill of lading number, sender and receiver information, package weight, and any special delivery instructions (such as back porch delivery, signature required, or time-sensitive needs). There are also visual indicators for notices or special handling. The preview remains on-screen just long enough to confirm you’ve selected the correct package from your truck, after which you can tap through to mark it as delivered or view full details, supporting efficiency and reducing errors.
Testing the concept across these different contexts revealed something important: we’re not just lacking preview functionality; we’re also missing the infrastructure to make previews truly useful.
Treating QR Codes as Files, Not Images
Currently, when you scan a restaurant menu QR code, you’re likely just accessing a URL that links to a PDF hosted on their website. The QR code itself is a static image, either a PNG or SVG that encodes a simple string of text. There’s no metadata, no structure, and no ability to update it after creation.
As I continued designing contextual previews, I realized that embedding structured data in QR codes can empower developers and stakeholders to create more dynamic, valuable solutions. A restaurant menu QR code should include information about the restaurant itself, not just a link. An event ticket should carry structured event data, and a shipping label should contain package details.
This shift in perspective led me to view QR codes less as images and more as documents.
When PDFs were introduced, they addressed a specific need: a file format that would display consistently across all devices, could package text and images together, and was easily shareable and printable. PDFs became an industry standard because they filled a real infrastructural gap.
QR codes serve a similar need in reverse: they act as a physical interface to digital content. As QR codes become more widespread and essential, we need better infrastructure to support them. We require a standardized method for creating, editing, managing, and encoding structured data within them, enabling industry leaders to define the future of this technology.
This is when I began considering a new file format, which I propose to call .qr. It wouldn’t merely be a PNG encoding a URL; it would be a file that includes the encoded data along with metadata: when it was created, who created it, what type of content it links to, when it expires, version history if it has been edited, and security signatures if it originates from a verified source.
This would enable several practical features:
A restaurant could set its menu QR code to expire at the end of the month when they update their menu, then revise it with new content.
An event organizer could modify a ticket QR code to direct attendees to a different location if the venue changes.
A retail company could track how many times its promotional QR codes have been scanned and from which locations.
Access controls could be implemented, allowing only certain team members to modify the QR code for a company’s trade show booth.
This approach mirrors the rationale that made version control standard for coding and collaborative editing the norm for documents. QR codes are becoming too significant to treat as disposable static images.
Building the Ecosystem
To make this concept work, you would need native apps across multiple platforms. I designed DotQR (a placeholder name for presentation) as both a consumer app and a platform with enterprise capabilities.
On mobile, DotQR serves as your personal QR hub. You can create new codes using templates for everyday use cases such as Wi-Fi network access, contact cards, website links, and event invitations. You can store codes that you’ve created or frequently use like the QR code for your home Wi-Fi, the parking app for your office garage, or the loyalty card for your favourite coffee shop. Everything is organized with labels and colour coding. The app also lets you edit your own codes, set expiration dates, and share them with others, making it adaptable to your needs.
The app features three main sections: Home (for your most-used codes), Create (to build new codes with guided templates), and Settings (for security and app preferences). When creating a new QR code, the app provides a preview of the scanning experience, including the overlay that appears when someone scans it. This means you are designing the entire interaction, not just generating a square.
On desktops, the app becomes even more powerful for enterprise use. For instance, you might create unique QR codes for every table in your restaurant, generate access badges for a 500-person conference, or develop a seasonal promotional campaign with codes that expire after three months. The desktop version provides features like batch creation, analytics on scan rates and locations, and integration with other tools. I created versions for both iOS/Android and Windows to demonstrate how this concept would function across platforms. The Windows version includes a sidebar navigation with a Dashboard that displays recent codes, along with functions for creating and uploading codes and detailed editing capabilities. When creating code for a restaurant menu, you can view a live preview of the scanning experience, including the contextual overlay.
Why This Matters Now
The $35 billion market projection reflects more than just growth; it signifies that QR codes are becoming an essential part of our infrastructure. When something is transformed into infrastructure for payments, access control, identity verification, and critical logistics, it must be secure, reliable, and well-designed.
Currently, QR codes are mostly unmanaged. There is no standardization for their creation, no built-in security verification, no way to update them after deployment, and no platform-level tools for managing them at scale. We are treating a critical interface technology as if it were still a novelty.
The work I’m proposing includes contextual previews, standardized file formats, and native management tools, all aimed at giving QR codes the infrastructure they need to function as the ubiquitous interface technology they are becoming. While these enhancements are necessary, stakeholders will need clarity on the implementation challenges, costs, and resource commitments involved to evaluate feasibility effectively.
This approach is speculative design, yet it is grounded in real issues that are becoming more urgent as adoption grows. Companies like Apple or Google could implement the preview overlay through a software update. Standardizing the .qr format would require broader efforts, similar to how PDF became an open standard, demonstrating that successful standardization efforts are achievable and beneficial. The suggested apps illustrate what a comprehensive QR management ecosystem could look like.
The opportunity lies in the fact that we are still early in QR’s evolution as an infrastructure component, so these systemic changes remain achievable. Acting now can position us as leaders before fragmentation increases and standards become harder to establish. DotQR proposes what could happen if we take QR codes seriously as designed objects and build the systems they deserve, inspiring industry leaders to envision a more integrated future.
Research
Brief Stats
Market Growth:
QR code market: $13.04B (2025) → $28.64B (2030) - Mordor Intelligence
QR payment market: $8.07B (2020) → $35.07B (2030) at 16.1% CAGR - Allied Market Research
5.3 billion QR coupon redemptions (2022 forecast) - Juniper Research
Security Threats:
587% increase in quishing (phishing with QR codes) attacks (August-September 2023) [Check Point Research]
22% of phishing attacks used QR codes (2023) [Keepnet Labs]
89.3% of QR code attacks target credential theft [Abnormal Security]
Regional Leaders
China: 10 billion mobile devices using QR codes for payments (2022) - Statista/Juniper Research
India: 40% of population uses QR/digital payments - Mordor Intelligence
Market Growth and Projected Impact
The QR code market is experiencing rapid growth that extends well beyond temporary trends seen during the pandemic. Valued at $13.04 billion in 2025, the overall QR code market is projected to reach $28.64 billion by 2030, advancing at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 17.03% over the forecast period [Mordor Intelligence]. In terms of QR code payments specifically, the market was valued at $12.2 billion in 2024 and is expected to grow to $66.9 billion by 2034, with a CAGR of 18.70% [QR Code Press].
This growth reflects not only an expanding market but also significant shifts in consumer behaviour. In the United States, approximately 89 million smartphone users scanned QR codes in 2022, and this figure is anticipated to exceed 100 million by 2025 [Statista]. The transition from a COVID-19 contactless convenience to an essential part of daily transactions demonstrates the technology’s enduring relevance and stability.
Remarkably, 95% of consumers know how to scan a QR code [Origin Media], which should reassure industry analysts and stakeholders about the technology’s broad acceptance. The elimination of technical barriers signifies QR codes’ transition into a standard, reliable tool for diverse applications.
Regional Context
Adoption of QR codes varies significantly by region. The Asia-Pacific region holds the largest share of the QR code market at 39% in 2024. It is expected to experience the highest compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.3% from 2025 to 2030 [Mordor Intelligence]. In China, over 90% of mobile payments are conducted using QR codes, with users interacting with them 10 to 15 times a day [Mordor Intelligence]. Meanwhile, in the United States, the QR code payment market generated $3.5 billion in 2024, reflecting a rapid expansion that signals promising future growth opportunities [GM Insights].
Industry Adoption
QR codes have gained significant traction across industries, evolving from a novelty to an essential part of infrastructure.
Restaurant Industry:
The restaurant sector has become one of the most prominent adopters of QR codes. In June 2023, 45% of U.S. adults reported using QR codes to view restaurant menus over the past year, while an equal 45% had not, indicating a demographic divide [Statista/YouGov]. Among those who used QR codes, 78% were Millennials, and 68% were Gen Z consumers [Datassential/Food Institute].
Supply Chain & Logistics:
QR code-based traceability solutions captured 40% of the total market share and generated 45% of the total revenue in the traceability market in 2023 [Verified Market Reports]. DHL uses computer vision technology to track assets in warehouses by reading unique identifiers, such as QR codes, resulting in more accurate fulfillment [DHL Logistics Trend Radar 7.0].
Healthcare:
Hospitals and pharmaceutical companies are increasingly adopting QR codes for secure access to patient data, prescription tracking, and digital health record management [Uniqode State of QR Codes 2025]. The MedicAlert Foundation offers QR code medical IDs that allow emergency responders to quickly access critical patient health information [MedicAlert].
Security: The Critical Gap
The use of QR codes has surged, leading to increased security threats, including data theft, malware distribution, and identity theft. One significant concern is “quishing,” or QR code phishing, which highlights a critical vulnerability in how we currently interact with QR codes. DotQR’s preview system effectively addresses this gap.
The scale of the threat is substantial. In 2023, incidents of quishing increased by 587% [Check Point Research]. During that same period, QR codes were involved in 22% of all phishing attacks [Keepnet Labs].. For security professionals and business owners, this highlights the pressing need to stay vigilant. In 2025, the number of malicious QR codes rose by 25%, with over 26 million Americans being directed to harmful sites via them [Hoxhunt/Uniqode]. Nearly 2% of all scanned QR codes are considered malicious [Keepnet Labs], underscoring the widespread risk.
Alarmingly, detection rates for these threats are low, with only 36% of QR phishing incidents being accurately identified and reported [Keepnet Labs].
Why Current Implementations Fail Users
The main vulnerability lies in the way QR codes operate. When you scan a QR code with your phone’s camera, you are instantly directed to the destination without any preview or verification step. This can leave users feeling unprepared, as they lack the opportunity to make informed decisions. Since users only see the domain name through their device’s camera application, dubious URLs can seem more credible, reducing their sense of control over their digital safety.
Why This Research Matters for DotQR
These statistics underscore the critical issue that DotQR addresses: as QR codes become essential infrastructure, they lack adequate security and user experience (UX) systems, highlighting the urgent need for practical solutions.
The 36% detection rate reveals a significant UX failure, as users struggle to distinguish legitimate from malicious codes, undermining trust and security in QR interactions.
The preview overlay system addresses this gap by showing the destination, content type, and verification status before users commit to scanning, fostering informed decision-making.
Market projections estimate the QR market will reach $28.64 billion by 2030, with payments potentially hitting $66.9 billion by 2034. With over 100 million U.S. users expected by 2025, QR codes are not just a trend; they are integral to our infrastructure. The pressing question is whether industry leaders will choose to enhance security and UX or persist with a flawed model.
The restaurant industry’s divided adoption (45% using QR menus and 45% not) highlights the benefits and challenges of QR codes. With security statistics showing a 587% increase in attacks and 22% of phishing schemes using QR codes, DotQR aims to bridge the gap between the established utility of QR codes and the unaddressed vulnerabilities they pose.
Moodboard
User Personas
Three personas explore how QR preview functionality integrates into different daily contexts from restaurant dining to event attendance to package deliveries with each representing distinct security concerns and decision-making needs.
Process & Design Decisions
The preview overlay system features a flexible container structure that adapts to diverse use cases, emphasizing its versatility. This base layout scales from simple applications like restaurant menus and event tickets to complex workflows such as shipping labels and package verification. By showcasing this adaptability, the system demonstrates that the exact preview mechanism can support both casual consumer interactions and high-volume professional tasks, such as processing over 250 packages per shift. Exploring multiple contexts, including retail payments and bill-of-lading verification, ensures the overlay effectively covers a wide range of scenarios.
The design process emphasized creating a seamless intermediary step that quickly provides critical information, empowering users to make decisions without frustration. Each preview needed to convey just enough context for users to make informed decisions, such as determining if the source is legitimate, if the package is correct, or if it is worth opening in just 2 to 3 seconds, and then fade into the background. This required careful consideration of what information is crucial in each scenario and how to present it in a quick, glanceable format.
In addition to the preview system, I developed companion creator and composer tools that enable businesses and individuals to generate QR codes with preview-compatible metadata. Both systems were designed to feel native to their respective operating systems (iOS, Android, and Desktop) while ensuring functional consistency across platforms.
Wireframing: Preview System
Early Exploration
Initial sketches examined how preview overlays can display important information before users decide to open a link. Recognizing diverse user needs, early iterations experimented with generic layouts that treated all QR codes equally. However, this approach quickly highlighted its limitations: for instance, a delivery driver scanning 250 packages requires different information compared to someone checking a restaurant menu.
Key Decision: Contextual Previews Over Universal Templates
Instead of forcing all use cases into a single preview format, I created flexible containers that adapt according to the content type. Restaurant previews display the venue name, menu type (PDF or webpage), and verification status. Shipping previews emphasize tracking numbers, delivery addresses, and any special handling instructions. Event previews present the date, venue, verified ticket source, and price range.
Design Decisions:
Progressive Disclosure for High-Volume Scanning: Delivery drivers need quick verification of essential information. Therefore, critical details such as tracking numbers, recipient addresses, and special instructions should be displayed immediately. Users can expand for full manifest details only when exceptions occur. This approach reduces load times by 5-10 seconds for over 200 daily scans, enhancing efficiency and user satisfaction.
Platform-Specific UI Patterns: For iOS consumer scenarios, such as restaurants and events, modal dialogues follow standard iOS interaction patterns, reinforcing familiarity and ease of use. Android implementations for delivery workflows utilize Material Design, incorporating bottom sheets and progressive disclosure that align with the Zebra handheld devices and work tools drivers already rely on, fostering consistency and usability.
Trust-First Information Hierarchy: Verification badges and source URLs should always appear at the top of every preview, reinforcing legitimacy and security before displaying additional content. This helps users first verify “Is this safe?” before deciding “Do I want this?”, promoting user confidence and safety.
Low Fidelity/Early Wireframes
Wireframing: QR Composer
Early Exploration
The initial wireframes examined how users would create QR codes with metadata compatible with previews. The challenge was to design a tool that felt native to each platform while ensuring that code generated on any device would display correctly in preview overlays across all platforms.
Dashboard-First Approach
Early iterations began with a “create new code” screen, but this did not align with typical user workflows. Most users return more frequently to manage existing codes, such as updating menus, checking analytics, or editing event details, rather than creating new ones. The final design emphasizes a dashboard view that displays recent codes and quick actions, making users feel their everyday tasks are central and supported.
Mobile vs. Desktop Features
The mobile version focuses on quick creation and editing for on-the-go updates. In contrast, the desktop version offers advanced analytics for users who need more profound insights into scan data and code performance.
Metadata Structure
The composer utilizes structured forms to gather the information necessary for contextual previews, including the source URL, content type, verification status, and timestamps. This structured approach ensures that users enter accurate data, which is crucial for the preview overlay system to display accurate, reliable information.
Low Fidelity/Early Wireframes
Wireframes
Preview System
Platform-specific preview interfaces that display QR code content before users fully commit to scanning. These wireframes explore how different types of codes present critical information through progressive disclosure, enabling users to verify details and make informed engagement decisions.
Event QR Preview
The event QR code preview highlights key details like date, location, venue, and ticket prices, helping event organizers and attendees verify information quickly before entering the ticketing process. Quick access to maps and calendar integration streamlines the journey from discovery to purchase, making event management more efficient.
Menu QR Preview
This preview provides details about the restaurant, including the cuisine type and pricing, helping diners feel assured they are viewing the correct establishment’s menu before accessing the whole experience. This feature builds trust, especially in busy urban areas with many options.
Shipping/BOL QR Preview
The shipping QR preview uses progressive disclosure to help logistics professionals feel efficient and in control by revealing critical freight information, from basic tracking status to detailed manifest data, including package dimensions, shipping contacts, transit history, and itemized contents. It enables quick access to specific data points without having to navigate extensive documentation.
QR Composer
The companion creation platform allows users to generate, customize, and manage QR codes on both desktop and mobile devices. These wireframes outline the main workflows, from initial code creation to ongoing management, ensuring users feel confident and well-supported throughout their journey.
Desktop Application
Dashboard
A central hub that displays recent code activity and performance analytics. It helps users feel confident and in control by providing quick access to codes and highlighting key metrics to understand engagement patterns.
Code Library - List View
A detailed inventory view of all created codes, optimized for scanning and searching through extensive collections. Each entry displays metadata such as creation date, scan counts, and code type for efficient management.
Code Library - Grid View
A visual-first browsing experience that emphasizes QR code thumbnails over text descriptions. It is designed to make users feel at home and at ease, enabling them to locate specific codes through visual recognition quickly.
Design Editor
A comprehensive editor for advanced QR code customization. The layered design system enables users to adjust colours, shapes, embedded logos, and visual styles while ensuring the code remains scannable.
Mobile Application
Code Management
A streamlined mobile interface for viewing and managing QR codes, featuring quick actions for editing, sharing, and deleting. This design aims to empower users and make them more efficient at managing their code on the go.
Creation Flow
A step-by-step mobile workflow for creating new QR codes, featuring input fields that dynamically change based on the selected code type (Event, Menu, or Shipping). This ensures users have relevant options and a seamless experience, including a real-time preview and basic customization features.
Solutions & Use cases
Solution 1: Preview System
The immediate fix - addressing the "scan and hope" problem
QR codes currently operate as black boxes; users scan them without knowing what they will access or where they will be directed. This new preview system introduces information overlays that appear immediately after scanning, providing crucial details before users fully engage with the content.
The key principle is to transform QR code interactions from blind experiences into informed decisions by displaying essential context upfront. This enhancement helps users feel more confident and supported in their choices, emphasizing the system’s practical benefits.
Use Cases: When Context Matters
Restaurant Menu
A diner scans a QR code at a restaurant. The preview displays the restaurant’s name, cuisine type, and hours, then loads the full menu. This feature helps eliminate confusion in areas where multiple establishments operate close together.
Event Poster
A concert-goer scans a poster downtown. The preview immediately shows the event name, date, venue, and ticket price range, allowing them to decide whether to proceed to ticketing without leaving their current app.
Shipping Label
A warehouse worker scans a BOL code. Progressive disclosure first shows the tracking status, with the option to expand for full manifest details, including dimensions, contacts, and itemized contents. This approach provides precisely the information needed without unnecessary navigation.
The Insight
As I designed these contexts, I realized we are treating QR codes like images when they should be treated as documents. Incorporating security best practices, such as verifying the source or encrypting sensitive data, can help users trust QR code interactions and protect their privacy effectively.
Solution 2: The .qr File Format
The Systemic Solution: Rethinking QR Codes as a Native File Type
Instead of viewing QR codes as disposable images generated by web tools, this proposal seeks to establish them as a standardized file format with built-in creation and editing capabilities, similar to how .pdf or .docx files operate across various platforms.
What this enables:
Desktop Creation Tools: Design and manage QR codes with complete version control on desktop applications.
Mobile Editing Apps: Update code content and track performance on-the-go with mobile applications.
Consistent Metadata Standards: Ensure a unified preview system across all platforms through standardized metadata, emphasizing their role in creating a cohesive user experience.
File-Level Management: Save, organize, share, and update QR codes just like any other document, fostering trust in the system’s consistency and control.
Why This Matters Now
QR code adoption has surged, evolving from contactless menus during the pandemic to applications in shipping logistics and event management. However, the user experience has remained the same since QR codes were first introduced in 1994.
Here are the current friction points that many in logistics, marketing, and hospitality experience, which can cause frustration and uncertainty:
Restaurants: Diners often hesitate to scan menus displayed on unfamiliar QR codes, leaving them unsure of their legitimacy.
Events: Festival attendees frequently waste time scanning promotional QR codes that lead to broken links or incorrect venues.
Logistics: Warehouse workers struggle to navigate through multiple screens to find basic tracking information, which slows down operations. [Video/image: Warehouse worker scanning package - preview overlay shows BOL tracking]
Marketing: Businesses often create disposable QR codes, lacking the ability to update content or track meaningful engagement.
The proposed preview system and native file format address all of these issues by:
Providing users with confidence through transparency before they commit to scanning.
Allowing businesses to update QR code destinations without needing to reprint physical materials.
Enabling workers to access relevant information more quickly through context-aware displays.
Benefiting the entire ecosystem with standardized creation and management tools.
Design System
To ensure platform-native experiences, DotQR's interface adapts to each platform's established patterns. iOS screens follow Apple's Human Interface Guidelines, Android versions implement Material Design principles, and desktop experiences align with Microsoft's Fluent Design System. This approach maintains user familiarity while delivering consistent core functionality across platforms.
QR Preview Screens
App Screens
Challenges and Considerations
This is speculative design, so it’s important to acknowledge the real-world challenges involved. The preview overlays would require Apple and Google to integrate them into their native camera systems, emphasizing the importance of platform cooperation. We need to convince these companies that there is sufficient value in security and user experience to justify the engineering investment. Both companies have previously improved QR scanning capabilities (for example, Apple added native support in iOS 11), so there is precedent, but making such a significant change at the platform level is still a major undertaking.
The .qr file format faces even greater challenges it would require industry standardization similar to how PDF became an ISO standard after Adobe open-sourced it. For example, examining how PDF’s standardization facilitated widespread adoption could help illustrate potential benefits. Achieving this would necessitate buy-in from stakeholders across various sectors, the formation of working groups to define the specifications, and careful consideration of security, interoperability, and backward compatibility. While it is feasible, it is not a quick process.
If I were to take this idea further, my priority would be to validate the core assumptions. Do people actually want preview overlays, or would they find them intrusive in practice? I would prototype the interaction and test it with users scanning QR codes in different contexts such as casual (restaurant menus), high-stakes (event tickets), and high-volume (delivery logistics). I would also consult with businesses that currently manage QR codes at scale to understand if editable, version-able QR codes address real challenges or are merely theoretical solutions.
The coordination challenge is significant, this requires alignment among platforms, standards bodies, and industry players. However, QR codes are increasingly becoming infrastructural elements without the necessary infrastructure thinking to support them, and this gap is growing more critical. Even if this specific solution does not come to fruition, the issues it seeks to address are worth discussing.