QR codes for museums: more behind every label, with no app
QR codes for museums put audio, video and longer stories behind a small exhibit label. Visitors use their own phone camera, you skip the app download, and you can change the content without reprinting the label.
No credit card required. Plans from $9 a month after the trial.
What to put behind the label
- Audio guides that play in the browser
- Video of a restoration, or a curator talking
- PDFs with catalogue notes and large-print versions
- A multi-link page that offers each language as a choice
Good practice in the gallery
Connectivity is the common failure in a museum, so test each code in the room, or offer guest WiFi with a WiFi code at the entrance. Mount the code where a visitor can reach it comfortably at a phone's distance, and at 2 cm or more for close-up labels.
Which plan fits
A temporary exhibition may fit Starter (10 dynamic codes at $9 a month). A permanent gallery may need Pro (50) or Business (600). Scan counts by code show you which exhibits draw interest, without identifying visitors.
Write the label so people scan it
Say what the visitor gets and how long it takes: "Hear the curator, 2 minutes" works better than "Scan for more". Keep audio and video short, because people are standing up, and remind them to bring headphones or offer captions and a transcript. A text version also helps visitors with hearing loss.
Place the code consistently, so visitors learn where to look from one label to the next. Use a matte finish where lighting causes glare, and scan each code in place at different times of day.
Start with one room. Create codes for a handful of objects, leave them up for a month, and compare the scan counts. That tells you which kinds of content people want before you commit a whole gallery to it. A dynamic code also lets you swap a recording for a better one without touching the label.
Common questions
Do visitors need to install an app?
No. Current phone cameras read the code directly.
Can we change the content for a new exhibition?
Yes. Edit the destination and the printed label keeps working, as long as your subscription is active.
Try it on one gallery
Make five codes on the 7-day free trial and see what gets scanned.
Start Free TrialNo credit card required.