Take the simple example of adherence: the poor, more than others, fail to take their medication as prescribed. We could say, “This is a fact of life,” and move on, no longer trusting the poor to do what’s required. Or we could build a product like GlowCaps. This pill bottle kicks into action whenever it has not been opened the right number of times that day. It starts by glowing, and if it still hasn’t been opened, it beeps, eventually sending text messages to the user’s phone. Little by little, it makes its annoyance known, preventing the neglect that comes with tunneling.
