How exactly am I supposed to scan that?

Issue 06

Has this happened to you?

You open an event email on your phone and see a simple instruction:

“Scan the QR code below.”

You scroll and do, in fact, see a QR code.

On your phone.

It’s a simple example of something that happens more often than it should. An event communication works perfectly when it is created and reviewed, but not necessarily when an attendee actually tries to use it.

A confirmation email may look great, but the most important link is hard to find. Instructions may make sense on a computer but require an extra step on a phone. A button may work perfectly, but the page it opens is difficult to use on a smaller screen. Or the QR code that seemed like the easiest way to get attendees where they need to go becomes the one thing they can't use because they're already looking at it on their phone.

Everything technically works. The attendee experience doesn't.

A better check

Follow the attendee experience

Before sending an event communication, don't just proofread it or check how it looks. Actually follow the steps you're asking the attendee to follow.

01

Can they find what they need?

02

Can they complete the action?

03

Does it still make sense if they're doing it from a different device than you are?

The goal is not just to confirm that the links work. It is to experience the communication in the same order and context the attendee will.

Small changes

A few quick fixes

QR code

Include a clickable link or button to the same destination that can be used on a computer or mobile device.

Address

Make it easy to open the location in the attendee's preferred navigation app.

Phone

Make it tappable.

Important action

Make sure it is easy to find without searching through the entire communication.

Link to another page

Open it and complete the next step yourself. Make sure the pages that follow are just as easy to use on a mobile device.

These are small details, but they are often where an otherwise well-designed attendee experience starts to feel unnecessarily complicated.

And remember

“Mobile” isn't really one screen anymore

Attendees may be using a small phone, a large phone, a foldable phone, a tablet, a laptop, or the same device in different orientations. A communication that looks perfectly readable on one screen may behave very differently on another.

You don't need to own or test every possible device, but checking a few different screen sizes can uncover problems you won't see in a desktop preview alone. Responsive design helps, but responsive does not always mean usable.

One last check

Don't just ask whether the communication looks right. Ask whether the attendee can actually use it.

That is all. Carry on.

Josh Power

Co-Founder | Event Technologist
Power Event Group