Mobile/QR Codes

Tracking

• Epic bug 602818

Justification

QR code readers are a viable input alternative to land on specific URLs. Given that these URLs point users to web content, it's logical that the Firefox browser includes this input method.

QR codes are also increasingly being used in the mobile payment battleground, thereby increasing their significance to a larger user base. Users are become more comfortable seeing - and using - QR codes as a means of viewing content. They are being used more frequently by advertisers on billboards and other promotional material, tourist boards to provide historical information, and anyone interested in providing quick & easy access to 'something'.

Although there are QR code extensions / add-ons available for browsers today (UC, Opera, Chrome), these focus not just on reading but creating QR codes as a method to share links, photos and other information with another person.

Success Criteria

• Positive SUMO feedback and increased usage

Product Requirements

To keep the implementation simple, we should focus on the 'reading' use case and, if appropriate, evolve it to include 'creating' for a later iteration.

Use case: As a user, I don't want to have to download a QR Reader application to follow a QR code which then would ultimately bring me to the browser to view the content anyway. Instead, I want the simplicity of using my favourite browser FIRST to follow the QR code in the first place.

• Illustration: I see a poster of a movie that intrigues me. It has a QR code at the bottom of the poster that can be used to find more information about the movie (trailor, who's in it, synopsis, release timing). I whip out my phone, go to Firefox, and follow the QR code directly from my browser so that it takes me directly to the landing page without having to switch between applications.

Read QR Codes

• From the browser, be able to use a QR reader functionality to view a QR code
• Use the smartphone's or tablet's camera to hover over the QR code and 'engage' with it
• Send the user to the QR code's encoded URL
• If the QR code contains information that cannot be displayed with Firefox, provide a useful error message back to the user

Telemetry

• Ensure there is a telemetry probe measuring if the QR tool is employed

Distribution

• This could either be built-in to the product, or created as an add-on initially
• If engineered as an add-on:
  • Extra marketing would be required to promote this add-on
  • Further capabilities would need to be opened up for this kind of add-on creation which may lead to privacy & security reviews