Barcode
Lowest-cost label. Needs line of sight and is normally scanned one item at a time.
Digital identification · live class quiz
Scan Smart Quiz
Choose the right identification technology for ten real situations. Learn when cheap line-of-sight labels win - and when QR or RFID is worth the extra capability.
ProgressReady · 10 rounds
Total score0
Best choices0
Streak0
Time left -
Class standingSolo practice
Four choices. One best fit.
This is not a memory test. Read the situation, look for clues about line of sight, scanning speed, data capacity and cost, then choose the best technology.
- Read the business situation and its three clues.
- Select Barcode, QR Code, RFID or Manual Entry.
- Lock in your answer within 90 seconds. If time expires, the quiz moves on automatically.
- Read the feedback - the reason matters more than the points.
Solo practice: start whenever you are ready.
QR Code
Camera-friendly 2D code. Holds more data or opens a digital page, but still needs line of sight.
RFID
Radio tag. No line of sight; many tags can be read quickly, but tags and readers cost more.
Manual Entry
Flexible fallback when tagging is impossible, but slow and vulnerable to human error.
About this tool
The concept
Auto-ID technologies are not ranked best to worst. Barcode, QR, RFID and manual entry trade cost against four things: line of sight, read speed, data capacity and durability. Choosing well means matching the technology to whichever of those constraints actually binds.
How it works
Each round gives a business situation and three clues pointing at line of sight, speed, data capacity or cost. You pick one of four technologies inside 90 seconds. Scoring rewards the least expensive option that still meets the operational need, and the debrief explains why the others fail.
Winning strategy
Find the binding constraint before you look at price. If items cannot be seen, line of sight rules out barcode and QR whatever they cost. If the job is to link to richer data, QR beats a 1D barcode. Only when nothing else binds does cost decide - and then RFID loses to a barcode that would have done the job.