Pill Organizers as Organized Design

By Henry Petroski

Keeping medications separated by day of the week, safe from spills but also readily accessible, is a case study in balancing conflicting design principles.

This Article From Issue

January-February 2019

Volume 107, Number 1

Page 14

DOI: 10.1511/2019.107.1.14

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Years ago, on a visit to my parents’ home, I learned that my father had been prescribed some medication for his diabetes, but he was having a difficult time remembering whether he took that morning’s pill. Always looking to be the domestic inventor, I dug around in the kitchen for something that might serve as a reminder to him. In a cabinet full of pots and pans, I came across an ice-cube tray that was not being used for its intended purpose.

When an elderly parent has difficulty remembering to take his pills, an engineer’s response is to improvise with an unused handy device, in this case an ice-cube tray marked with the days of the week. Keeping the tray near a calendar and in a place where it will be easily seen makes the tray more useful. Innovations on this basic idea, which aim to prevent pill spillage while maintaining ease of access to the contents, abound in both form and efficacy.

**Illustration by Tom Dunne**

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