The preview overlay system features a flexible container structure that adapts to diverse use cases, emphasizing its versatility. This base layout scales from simple applications like restaurant menus and event tickets to complex workflows such as shipping labels and package verification. By showcasing this adaptability, the system demonstrates that the exact preview mechanism can support both casual consumer interactions and high-volume professional tasks, such as processing over 250 packages per shift. Exploring multiple contexts, including retail payments and bill-of-lading verification, ensures the overlay effectively covers a wide range of scenarios.

The design process emphasized creating a seamless intermediary step that quickly provides critical information, empowering users to make decisions without frustration. Each preview needed to convey just enough context for users to make informed decisions, such as determining if the source is legitimate, if the package is correct, or if it is worth opening in just 2 to 3 seconds, and then fade into the background. This required careful consideration of what information is crucial in each scenario and how to present it in a quick, glanceable format.

In addition to the preview system, I developed companion creator and composer tools that enable businesses and individuals to generate QR codes with preview-compatible metadata. Both systems were designed to feel native to their respective operating systems (iOS, Android, and Desktop) while ensuring functional consistency across platforms.

Wireframing: Preview System

Early Exploration

Initial sketches examined how preview overlays can display important information before users decide to open a link. Recognizing diverse user needs, early iterations experimented with generic layouts that treated all QR codes equally. However, this approach quickly highlighted its limitations: for instance, a delivery driver scanning 250 packages requires different information compared to someone checking a restaurant menu.

Key Decision: Contextual Previews Over Universal Templates

Instead of forcing all use cases into a single preview format, I created flexible containers that adapt according to the content type. Restaurant previews display the venue name, menu type (PDF or webpage), and verification status. Shipping previews emphasize tracking numbers, delivery addresses, and any special handling instructions. Event previews present the date, venue, verified ticket source, and price range.

Design Decisions:

• Progressive Disclosure for High-Volume Scanning: Delivery drivers need quick verification of essential information. Therefore, critical details such as tracking numbers, recipient addresses, and special instructions should be displayed immediately. Users can expand for full manifest details only when exceptions occur. This approach reduces load times by 5-10 seconds for over 200 daily scans, enhancing efficiency and user satisfaction.
• Platform-Specific UI Patterns: For iOS consumer scenarios, such as restaurants and events, modal dialogues follow standard iOS interaction patterns, reinforcing familiarity and ease of use. Android implementations for delivery workflows utilize Material Design, incorporating bottom sheets and progressive disclosure that align with the Zebra handheld devices and work tools drivers already rely on, fostering consistency and usability.
• Trust-First Information Hierarchy: Verification badges and source URLs should always appear at the top of every preview, reinforcing legitimacy and security before displaying additional content. This helps users first verify “Is this safe?” before deciding “Do I want this?”, promoting user confidence and safety.

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Low Fidelity/Early Wireframes

https://whimsical.com/dotqr-wireframes-low-fidelity-clean-YDwTcsJmepvLTaiae5KEi5@8ADn3nfZACb17Ls9Dy5dPx4k8C1g3YsdRR5Z