It’s okay to make a few mistakes. Just ask the QR code.

During our monthly creative learning session, one of our designers brought in a QR code. That little square on your concert ticket, a package, or the menu that used to just sit on the table. We scan it without giving it much thought. But how does it actually work?

Yeah, sometimes we’re just nerds here at Jos, too.

The QR code was invented in 1994 by the Japanese company Denso. Masahiro Hara and a colleague developed a code that could contain a lot of information and was quickly readable. Hence the name: “Quick Response.” The automotive industry used it to track parts and production.

But a factory isn’t exactly a pristine environment. Oil might get on a label. Something might get damaged. The developers took that into account: the code had to keep working even under those conditions.

So a QR code doesn’t have to be completely intact to be scanned. It contains extra information that allows the scanner to recover missing or damaged data. This is called error correction. The math behind it is called Reed-Solomon. For anyone looking for another internet rabbit hole later on.

What really stuck with us: those imperfect conditions were already factored into the design.

That’s pretty neat. And it makes us think about our own work.

Because on our screen, everything usually looks just right. The message is clear, the order makes sense, the button is where it should be. We know the context. We’ve read the text seventeen times by now.

But the person we’re trying to reach is on the tram. They’re in a hurry. They only read the headline. Or they interpret a word differently than we do.

Does our message still hold up then?

For the governments and organizations we work with, that matters. An invitation must get people to attend an event. A campaign must lower a barrier. A website must help someone find support. If that only works when someone reads everything carefully and understands it right away, we still have work to do.

Of course, human interpretation can’t be fixed with a formula. But we can take it into account. By testing a message with the people it’s intended for. By clearly explaining what happens after a click. By having a form save your input if you forget something. Or simply by including a short web address next to that QR code.

At Jos, we want to engage people in a social narrative. That requires paying attention to their daily reality: what do they already know, what are they unsure about, what’s holding them back? For us, those questions are part of the design, writing, and testing process.

Our creative learning process began with black and white squares. We ended up with a question to hang above our screen: does it work even if someone isn’t as engaged with it as we are?

Want to be a bit of a nerd yourself? Discover how QR codes work.