Do QR codes on business cards actually work

QR codes on business cards have become common over the last few years, but most people's experience with them is disappointing — you scan it and land on either a blank page or a website that hasn't been touched in years. The problem was never the code itself, it's where it leads.

People's patience at a networking event is short. If scanning the code doesn't answer 'who is this, what do they do, how do I reach them' within a few seconds, that card ends up in a drawer.

What actually makes it work

The page behind the code needs to load fast, look right on a phone, and make it obvious who you are the moment it opens. Putting your own photo in the middle of the QR code itself helps too — the way we do it in MineBio — so people can often guess whose card it is before they even scan it.

One more detail worth having: a 'save to contacts' button on the page. So scanning the code doesn't just open a page — the person can save you as a real contact on their phone in one tap, something a paper card was never able to do.