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Bring back menus, QR codes are terrible

(slate.com)
527 points lxm | 3 comments | 29 Jun 21 03:25 UTC | HN request time: 0.886s | source
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basisword ◴[29 Jun 21 13:45 UTC] No.27675676[source]▶
Really didn’t take us long to get back to our first world problems did it?

As with most tech things the QR menus work well when they’re implemented well and poorly when they’re implanted poorly. Multi-language support (without having to print menus in lots of languages that might not get used) is something I’ve seen in a few places. There is also the opportunity to make them a more accessible option if done right. It allows restaurants to make updates to menu items more frequently and more when something isn’t available.

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1. kerkeslager ◴[29 Jun 21 15:25 UTC] No.27677193[source]▶
Ah yes, the "accessibility" of a $200+ smartphone. $500+ if you actually want it to come with a working ad-free QR reader preinstalled.
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2. basisword ◴[29 Jun 21 15:32 UTC] No.27677327[source]▶
82% of the population in the UK own a smartphone. On top of that, if you don’t have one, no restaurant is denying you service.
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3. kerkeslager ◴[29 Jun 21 15:59 UTC] No.27677769[source]▶
The largest number of people I could find affected by sight loss in the UK was 4.1 million by 2050, which is obviously far larger than the current number--and sight loss doesn't mean they can't read a paper menu in many cases[1]. The population of the UK is just over 68 million[2].

So two posts ago you were extolling the virtues of accessibility for at most 6% of UK's population, but now it's suddenly no big deal that 18% of the UK's population can't access your menu. And that's ignoring folks like my father: he technically has a smart phone, but he never has it on him and he wouldn't know how to scan a QR code even if he did have his smart phone on him.

And sure, nobody is turning away people without smart phones or blind people. Anyone is welcome to order food as long as they can figure out what your restaurant actually makes.

[1] https://www.rnib.org.uk/nb-online/eye-health-statistics

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demography_of_the_United_Kingd...

EDIT: You also completely ignored my point about having a working ad-free QR reader installed. I've got an entry-level Samsung phone, which did not come with a built-in QR code reader. The free one I downloaded came with ads.