There's a clip somewhere online of Simon Sinek bemoaning a new reality that many of us have come to groan about in this post-COVID era:
QR codes for menus in restaurants.
But Sinek doesn't wax nostalgic about paper menus or the poor structure of the new digital ones—he's concerned about how QR code menus are reshaping our dining etiquette:
It's now OK to take your phone out at the table.
And not only is it OK—it's required (if you plan on ordering something, that is).
I'm with Sinek in feeling this concern.
Our phones are already attention hogs, so it's troubling to see them newly ensconced in a previously verboten area of our lives. (Remember when it used to be rude to take your phone out at a restaurant?!)
And once the phones are out, they tend to stay out. Their presence is an unsubtle reminder, as Sinek observes, that your dining companions are not as important or interesting as the other people or things on your phone.
This annoyance at QR code menus came to mind this past week as I was developing interview strategy with a team.
They wanted to set up an interactive moment during the interview to highlight our firm's ability to generate 3D virtual environments for design review.
The easiest way to do this?
Have them take out their phones and scan a QR code.
Which poses a question.
Do we really want our interview panel pulling out their phones?
Following Sinek's thinking about phones at a meal, there's a clear risk here, a risk that the phones stay out of pockets and bags, contributing that unsubtle reminder:
There's something more important or interesting out there than this interview.
It seems like a big risk to take.
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