Adding QR Codes with the New Design Interface

[ColsCreations]

I just published a detailed post w/ screenshots on this here but the bottom line is -

After you click to add a QR code and enter a dummy URL as prompted, you're not done. In order for it to show up on the Personalize your Design/Edit panel the customer gets by default when they first click to Personalize from the product page, you need to manually take more steps to set it as a template field. 

Setting it as an actual template is not intuitive for the Designer but if this step is missed, it's not intuitive for the customer either on how to edit the URL the QR image points to. I write this because I recently tried customizing a design from the MP that used Zazzle's built-in QR code generator and even as a semi-experienced Designer I was lost at first on how to customize the URL for the QR image. That led me to finding that for some products the field for editing the URL is right there on the default Edit/Personalize panel, but for others the customer has to know to switch to the "Add Text"panel to see the field for editing the QR URL. Or they have to try double-clicking over the QR image itself in which case they'll get a little pop-up to edit the URL. That naturally led me to conclude that the process for setting up a Zazzle-generated QR code/Url template is not intuitive as some Designers are missing the important step of setting it as an actual template. 

So this is an FYI to Designers wanting to know how to add a QR code to their design with the new interface, but it's also a request to Zazzle to reconsider the process as you've made it. 

Once the Designer has added their dummy text in the "Add your URL' box as prompted, it should automatically become a template field that is offered on the Edit/"Personalize your design" field that customers first see when they click to Personalize on the product page. The extra steps of manually setting it as a template field is not intuitive at all and therefore makes it difficult for the customer to figure out how to personalize this important field if the Designer didn't know they had to manually set it up as a template first. 

[Cat]

AFAIK this is the way it worked in the old editor too - you had to make it a template in order for it to prompt the user to enter their own URL - the setting to force them to change it is new, which is an improvement IMHO.

As to why all QR codes aren't templates by default, my guess is that some designers are using this feature for their own marketing purposes - i.e. they are placing a QR code on the back of a card that goes back to their own website or something like that. I may be wrong, but I think that's why it's done that way. It would be easier if they defaulted to being templates and you had to turn it off if you didn't want it to be one, but then it would work opposite to how all the other elements (text, images, etc.) function - which could lead to confusion. Bottom line, I'm up in the air as to whether they should make them templates by default.

[VivianD117]

I use them all the time and I'm not sure either which way I would vote -- though probably on the side of it being a template as automatic. 

[ColsCreations]

I did that on the back of this card. Despite the fact that 1) I did not set it as a template and 2) it's Grouped with the other objects, you still get this on the Add Text panel. 🙁 That's confusing. And unwanted. 

Since QRs are such a special element w/ unique properties I think they should have their own "selling options" choices.
A) Make this a Template Field
- this would automatically place the text field for entering the custom URL on the Edit/Personalize panel that the customer first sees after they click to Personalize from the product page. 
or
B) Don't Allow Editing
- this would keep the text field associated with the QR image from showing at all, in any place, to the customer. 

These two options to select from should pop up when you hit Submit after entering your text/URL as prompted. Because as-is, once you hit Submit you're left wondering where the placeholder text/URL you just entered went. As the Designer you have to know where to find it and know that you have to manually set it as a template field and know how to do that. The current process is not intuitive for Designers to set it up properly, and if it ends up as just regular text on the Add Text panel, it's not intuitive for customers either. 

Option A would make it easier and clearer for both Designers and customers to achieve a properly working QR pointing to the customer's custom URL.
Option B would let Designers use the QR element to link back to their own site/shop as in the above use-case, but without confusing the customer by having it appear as an editable text field. The customer could still move, resize or delete the element though. 

Currently the only way to do option B is to set it as "disable all object interaction". I just tried that and it works, customer can't see & be confused by an editable text box for your URL.  However it also obviously means the customer can't move, resize  or remove the element. That's not ideal either but to me is better than having the customer encounter that confusing text field (that I don't want them to be able to change anyway.)

QR codes are so popular and so useful, and that Zazzle generates its own that don't expire at no extra cost - that's I think a great selling feature. Which is why I'd like to see Z revisit the process of making them to make it more fool-proof for both Designers and customers. 

[ColsCreations]

P.S.

Despite the scary red warning about too many characters in the URL, the code works fine when I scan it from the screen. I'd hope it works fine on the printed version too. 

[PAZP]

Oh, that's good to know about the code still working even with the warning. I tried a longer QR code, saw the red warning and decided not to use it.

Years ago I put my store QR code on the backs of greeting and note cards. I know I didn't make them templates but I don't remember being able to disable it at that time. Anyway, after a number of changes to the card backs I decided to remove nearly all (at least the ones I found).

What you've described makes sense to me, @ColsCreations 

[Connie]

In your blog post for the step by step instructions, it's not actually necessary to click on the "add text" button, unless you want to double-check that you entered the right text. when you add the URL and get the QR code, you can go right to the "Selling options" step and make it a template. I tested it out on a dummy product and the URL shows up in the template fields just fine.

[ColsCreations]

Yes. That's quicker. I specified going to Add Text so people know where the field ends up if they don't finish the process of intentionally making it an actual template.

[Cat]

OK, I think I'm starting to understand the confusion/problem. It's the fact that the URL appears under text that's weird, because it's NOT a text element. As soon as you make it a template it disappears from text and appears under the Edit tab. That is confusing. I've never used a QR code that wasn't a template, so I hadn't encountered this in the new design tool, but I do think it's an issue. It's like the software is treating it as text when really it should have its own category. 

And what about designs that have two separate QR codes - Like one for website/info and one for RSVP, or registry or whatever. Since there aren't any labels anymore, it becomes SUPER important to use a dummy URL that also serves as the label. Hmmm....

[ColsCreations]

 It's like the software is treating it as text when really it should have its own category.

I think that sums it all up perfectly. 

[ColsCreations]

* There's another current discussion re QR codes here:
https://community.zazzle.com/t5/general-zazzle-discussion/zazzle-removing-qr-codes-and-replacing-wit...

[Marcia]

So as an addition to this thread, I just found out today that you can't put a qr code on a real foil invite. (A customer wanted a real gold version of a faux gold qr invite that I had previously made.) I kept getting a warning that it wouldn't scan correctly after copying & pasting from the other document. And the "sell" button was grayed out. After trying numerous things (size, color, etc.), I attempted to make a new qr from scratch & couldn't find where to do it on our lovely new design tool. So I looked here to see what I was missing & saw nothing existed to put your url in, in elements. I contacted customer service chat (1st the bot, then a real person) who told me that a qr code is not an option on a real foil card, due to possible printing issues. Granted the qr code was on the back, so I seriously don't get it. I don't think he got why, as well.

So I thought I'd respond here to save anyone else the time that it took me to deal with this. And I obviously lost the sale.

(The only silver lining is, is that I've been avoiding the new design tool since it switched over a few days ago & it made me deal with it. True, most everything still exists, just in convoluted places. I'm quite proficient in photoshop & illustrator so I know it's not me. It's just some odd, dummed down canvalike version that does have the more designer needs around, but hidden. Ugh. I'll adapt, but not happy at all.)

[Cat]

Yeah, this has been a problem since they introduced the foil cards, and honestly it makes no sense to me. I can fully understand why you wouldn't want a QR code on the foil layer, and I suppose it's possible that even on the front you could cover it up with foil, but I can't think of any reason not to allow it on the back. I had a customer request this once and I tried EVERYTHING I could think of. I even used an outside QR code generator and saved the code as a png and then tried to upload it but no dice. I really wish they would fix it because it's a nonsensical rule as far as I can tell.