Products · Pattern or everyday thing
QR codes
Raised as a usability problem by 59 people on Hacker News over 16 years (2011–2026), in 44 threads.
No issue was raised by at least 3 people in 3 threads this year.
Every issue, all time, most people first
Scanning QR codes needs a separate app and many stepsUnreviewed
20112026- QR codes are hard to scan quickly except in ideal conditions2026-08-09
- Visitors must find a phone, scan a QR code, and install an app just to ring2024-10-29
- Visitors must scan a QR code to ring, which is more steps than a bell2024-10-29
Unreviewed issues were grouped by machine: Claude Haiku labelled each comment as a usability complaint, named what it's about and summed up the problem in a line, and a small model grouped similar problems. Nobody has checked them by hand. Expect mistakes.
The newest 50 complaints
- Can't tell whether a restaurant or driver's QR code will accept payment, so travellers gamble before ordering2026-08-17
- QR codes are hard to scan quickly except in ideal conditions2026-08-09
- Users never know whether to scan the merchant's code or show their own2025-08-14
- Took playing around to understand features; Continue button to sandbox hard to discover2025-04-30
- The four small icons are hard to tell apart and hard to match to the history tab2025-04-25
- Keyboard doesn't respond until clicking to fire; A and D keys don't turn2025-04-19
- Player can't figure out the controls and dies within seconds2025-04-19
- Visitors must find a phone, scan a QR code, and install an app just to ring2024-10-29
- Confusing photo prompt with no way to switch to the other camera2024-10-29
- Visitors must scan a QR code to ring, which is more steps than a bell2024-10-29
- Quick parking payment via QR code forces a signup page demanding lots of information2023-11-12
- Wife spent 10 minutes failing to figure out how to scan a QR code2023-09-07
- Must download an app and create an account before seeing the menu, then can't pay2023-05-25
- Login box blocks everything, with no obvious way to dismiss it and try the tool2023-04-11
- Locked into a login screen with no back button or close option2023-04-11
- Hours hidden behind a QR code, requiring phone scan and slow site load2023-01-06
- Scanning QR codes needs a hidden camera app button, which isn't intuitive and feels finicky2022-10-30
- Getting a link from phone to desktop takes many steps and apps2022-09-23
- Scanning is slow and fails without good lighting and a clean camera, forcing waits2022-07-12
- Must unlock phone, find the saved photo, then delete it afterward2022-07-12
- Small or inverted QR codes fail to scan on many Android phones2021-11-04
- Camera app can't handle QR payments; user must open the bank app and scan there2021-06-29
- Each venue's ordering app or website works differently, so payment and ordering are inconsistent2021-06-29
- Payment method limits only revealed after finishing the order, forcing a redo2021-06-29
- Two code types are easy to confuse, so users may pick the wrong one2020-12-19
- Site is confusing to use; link creation may not work in Chrome2020-12-19
- Users don't know what QR codes are, lack scanners, and get confused by camera apps2019-12-29
- QR codes are hard to use compared with typing short links2019-11-01
- Hard to locate the right website on a phone, so the commenter gave up2017-01-06
- Scanning a QR code and waiting for confirmation is slower than handing over cash2016-08-25
- Scanning a QR code takes many steps: open app, aim, wait for focus and decode2016-03-21
- Most people don't know what QR codes are, and scanning needs a separate app and many steps2016-02-12
- Users associate QR codes with bad user experience after heavy abuse2015-11-23
- Phones lack built-in QR readers, so people must find and install an app to scan2014-05-22
- Decorated QR codes are hard to scan, so buyers struggle and give up2013-11-08
- Scanning a QR code requires standing back, holding the phone steady, and not shaking2013-10-13
- Couldn't find a download link, only a QR code, so didn't know how to get the app2013-04-21
- Can't figure out how to scan QR codes; downloaded app didn't work2013-03-15
- Most people find scanning QR codes too cumbersome and counterintuitive; few can scan one correctly2012-11-26
- Scanning a QR code takes many slow steps: find the scanner, wait for it, aim, then wait through redirects2012-08-21
- Can't tell what scanning a bare QR code will give you2012-07-03
- Linked page unusable on small phone screen and slow on mobile connection2012-06-19
- Can't tell where a shortened QR link goes and typing its random string is hard2012-06-18
- QR codes on products I may buy are bad and pointless2012-06-18
- Scanning a QR code takes longer than typing the URL manually2012-06-18
- QR codes are ugly, unfriendly, redundant and unintuitive for people to use2012-06-18
- Scanning a QR code then tapping to read its text felt laggy2012-06-01
- QR codes are unwieldy, slow and annoying to use2012-04-11
- Requires extra phone steps to log in, making the login experience worse than a password manager2012-03-26
- QR code linked to a site that doesn't support smartphones2012-03-19