With Android Wear and a few lines of code in your mobile app, this can all work like magic.

1. Android Wear & QR Code: Putting Users
through the Fast Track
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2. Situation
Rushing onto a train, entering a concert, or
simply ordering a coffee, we have all seen users
(or ourselves) rummaging through their wallets
or mobile app trying to get the right boarding
pass, ticket or loyalty card.
With Android Wear and a few lines of code in
your mobile app, this can all work like magic.
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3. What’s new in the Android Support Library
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4. While QR Code images could be attached to a
notification since the first release of the Android Wear
platform, developers have asked about two situations
which they would like to see improve:
• With circular displays, it is hard for developer to know
if the QR code is displayed in it’s entirety and not
cropped.
• To conserve battery, Android Wear switches off the
screen after five seconds of inactivity.
• However, this makes it hard for the user to ensure that
the QR code is still displayed on their wrist when they
reach the front of the queue.
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5. Wrong:
setHintAvoidBackgroundClipping (false)
// this is the Default
Right:
setHintAvoidBackgroundClipping (true)
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6. • With the latest support library, we have added two
additional methods to WearableExtender to give
developers more control over how background images
are displayed in notifications.
• These new APIs can be used in a number of scenarios,
we will focus on the QR code use case in this post:
• Ensure the image is not cropped -
setHintAvoidBackgroundClipping(true)
With this new method, developers can ensure that the
entire QR code is always visible.
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7. • Ensure the QR code is still displayed when
the user gets to the front of the queue -
setHintScreenTimeout(timeInMS)
• This new method enables developers to set a
timeout that makes sense for their specific use
case.
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8. Design Best Practices
We have experimented with a number of customization options with
QR codes and here are some of the lessons learnt:
Dos
• Do test with your equipment - Before deploying, test with your QR
code readers to ensure that the QR code displayed on the wearable
works with your equipment.
• Do use black and white QR codes - This ensures maximum
contrasts and makes it easier for the reader to read the
information.
• Do display only the core information in the text notification -
Remember that less is more. Glanceability is important for
wearables.
• Do test with both round and square watches - The amount of text
can be displayed on the notification varies especially dependent on
the form factor (square and circular).
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9. Dos
• Do brand with icon - On the main notification in
the Android Wear stream, developers can set a
full color icon using setLargeIcon to brand your
notification.
• Do convey additional information using
background - To achieve an even better result,
consider setting context sensitive backgrounds
through setBackground, such as a photo of the
destination for the train or a picture of the
stadium.
• Do use QR codes which are 400x400 pixels or
larger - In line with other background images, the
recommended minimum size for QR code is
400x400 pixels. www.letsnurture.com

10. Don'ts
• Do not brand the QR code - The screen real estate is
limited on Android Wear and using some of this for
branding may result in the QR code not working correctly.
• Do not use anything other than grey or default theme
color for notification text - Although Android Wear
notifications support basic text formatting such as setting
text color, this should be used in moderation with the color
set to default or grey.
• The reason is that the Holo theme for Android 4.x has a
default background of black whereas Material Design
theme for Android 5+ including Android Wear has a white
background. This makes it hard for the colour to work for
both themes. Bold and Italic are fine formatting choices.
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11. Android Wear is for people on the move
• Using QR codes on Android Wear is a very
delightful experience.
• The information that the user needs is right on
their wrist at the right time in the right place.
With the new APIs, you can now unlock more
doors than ever before and give users an
easier time with check in on the go.
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info@letsnurture.om
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