Accessibility first: a scan has to work for every person who needs it

Most QR projects get tested by the people who built them, on new phones, in good light. That leaves out a lot of people. Someone using VoiceOver or TalkBack needs a page built from real text and headings, not a picture of a flyer. Someone with low vision needs to zoom without the layout breaking. Someone with a tremor needs a code big enough to frame without three tries.

This section covers accessibility profiles you can carry on a badge or wristband, the design choices that make a scanned page usable, and the cases where a QR code is the wrong tool and a printed card does the job better. We also watch how public bodies handle inclusive design, because their manuals are free and often better than anything sold as a product.

Our rule here is simple. If a wearable code makes life easier for one group and harder for another, it isn't finished yet.