IGICONIC GAMESSENIOR // FUTURE LEARNING
TERM 1 · WEEK 3Persuasion Lab
YEAR 8IMAGINE · PLAN · BUILD · ACT
MEDIA CITY · MISSION 03
BEHAVIOUR LAB

YEAR 8 · TERM 1 · WEEK 3

Persuasion Lab

When does persuasion become manipulation?

A fictional creator shop uses a sponsored post, a countdown that resets, a pre-selected add-on, and “people like you bought this” messaging. Your job is to separate ordinary persuasion from design choices that interfere with informed choice.
ENTER MISSION →
MISSION DECKMEDIA CITY / WEEK 03SELECT A MODULE
01BRIEFMission 02LEARNIntel 03INVESTIGATEEvidence 04ENGLISHEvidence case 05DECIDEMake the call 06DATANumbers 07PROJECTBuild 08CHECK-INReflect ★GAMEReward
ACTIVE OBJECTIVEA fictional creator shop uses a sponsored post, a countdown that resets, a pre-selected add-on, and “people like you bought this” messaging. Your job is to separate ordinary persuasion from design choices that interfere with informed choice.
WORLDMEDIA CITY
SEQUENCE01 / 08
REWARDGAME BREAK
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READY?

Watch. Check the clues. Have a go.

Everything you need is on this page.

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YOU NEED
  • Required: a device with this page open.
  • Optional: headphones for video or read-aloud.
  • Optional: pen + paper for rough working if that helps you think.
HOW TO DO IT
  1. Read or listen to the Briefing + Learn.
  2. Do the interactive mission.
  3. Use facts from the reading and maths parts.
  4. Make your choice and save your project step.
  5. Play the weekly game. Finish Check-in.
WORK YOUR WAY

Short bursts are fine. Use Learning Tools for easier reading, read-aloud, less on screen, stronger contrast, no-rush and quieter-screen options.

If you get stuck, look at the example and try again.

MISSION BRIEFING

A fictional creator shop uses a sponsored post, a countdown that resets, a pre-selected add-on, and “people like you bought this” messaging. Your job is to separate ordinary persuasion from design choices that interfere with informed choice.

✓Analyse rhetorical and visual persuasion across creator content and interface design.
✓Recognise sponsorship, social proof, scarcity cues, defaults and other design nudges.
✓Distinguish persuasive communication from manipulative or misleading design.
✓Use percentages and comparative rates to test promotional claims before making an editorial judgement.
MISSION MEDIA · CrashCourse

Influence & Persuasion

Watch for the point where ordinary influence can interfere with informed choice.

LONG-FORM SOURCE · You only need the section that supports this mission. Pause once you have the evidence or explanation you need.
YOUTUBE ↗

Captions are controlled inside the YouTube player. If the embed is unavailable, use the YouTube link.

LEARN

PERSUASION → NUDGE → AUTONOMY

Persuasion tries to influence a choice; manipulation reduces the quality of that choice through deception, hidden information, pressure or obstructive design. Audit PURPOSE → TARGETING → NUDGE → DISCLOSURE → AUTONOMY. Ask what the user can see, what is hidden, what is pre-selected, and whether the evidence matches the claim.

LEARNING BUILD

Learn. Try. Check.

Look at the example. Try it yourself. Need help? Open a hint.

01 · REFRESH · QUICK PREREQUISITE CHECK

Refresh: a nudge changes how choices are presented; informed choice requires clear information and a genuine ability to refuse.

A countdown that resets whenever the page is reopened is best described as…

Choose an answer to reactivate the idea you need for this week.

Show more teaching
02 · TEACH · CORE IDEA

Persuasion tries to influence a choice; manipulation reduces the quality of that choice through deception, hidden information, pressure or obstructive design. Audit PURPOSE → TARGETING → NUDGE → DISCLOSURE → AUTONOMY. Ask what the user can see, what is hidden, what is pre-selected, and whether the evidence matches the claim.

03 · TEACH · WHAT TO NOTICE

Analyse rhetorical and visual persuasion across creator content and interface design.Recognise sponsorship, social proof, scarcity cues, defaults and other design nudges.

04 · TEACH · CONNECT THE SKILLS

Distinguish persuasive communication from manipulative or misleading design.Use percentages and comparative rates to test promotional claims before making an editorial judgement.

05 · WORKED EXAMPLE

Worked example: a pre-selected $12 add-on uses a default. The user can technically untick it, but the design makes accepting the extra charge easier than refusing it. A fair redesign starts unticked and states the cost and purpose clearly.

06 · WE DO · GUIDED PRACTICE

Which change most directly improves user autonomy?

Choose the strongest answer. You will get an explanation straight away.

07 · YOU TRY · INDEPENDENT PRACTICE

YOU TRY: Choose one questionable design feature from the fictional store and redesign it. Explain the business goal it was trying to serve, how your version protects autonomy, and one counter-argument the company might make.

Write at least 25 words. This is about the learning, not personal information.

MISCONCEPTION

MISCONCEPTION: “A labelled sponsored post makes the whole sales experience ethical.” Disclosure helps, but separate interface choices can still mislead or obstruct informed choice.

HELP

HELP: Use PURPOSE → NUDGE → PROBLEM → REDESIGN → TRADE-OFF.

STRETCH · OPTIONAL

STRETCH (optional): Suggest a fair A/B test that measures conversion without using a deceptive timer or pre-selected add-on. Name what you would measure.

PERSUASION AUDIT

Where does persuasion cross into manipulation?

Audit the fictional creator-store interface. Identify the nudges, then redesign the parts that reduce informed choice.

FICTIONAL CREATOR SHOPDROP ENDS IN 09:59

REDESIGN THE INTERFACE — choose at least two changes.

Inspect at least three influence features, then choose at least two repairs.

OPEN THE CAMPAIGN EVIDENCE
SOURCE 1

Resetting countdown

Testing shows the “10 minutes left” countdown restarts when the page is reopened, so the scarcity cue is not a real deadline.
SOURCE 2

Pre-selected add-on

A $12 protection plan is already ticked before the user reaches checkout.
SOURCE 3

Sponsored post

The creator says the product is gifted and the post carries a visible sponsorship label.
SOURCE 4

“People like you choose this”

The interface gives no source, sample or definition for the personalised social-proof claim.

INVESTIGATE + ENGLISH · EVIDENCE CASE

When design makes the decision feel smaller

A fictional online store promotes a product through a creator partnership. The sponsorship is labelled, but the checkout also contains a pre-selected add-on and a countdown that resets whenever the page is reopened. A banner says “people like you choose this option”, yet no data source is shown. Designers sometimes use defaults, urgency, social proof and personalised messages because these can increase conversion. An ethical audit asks whether users still receive clear information, genuine choice and an easy way to refuse.

MAKE THE CALL

Which elements would you keep, disclose more clearly, redesign or remove? Defend your answer using user autonomy, evidence and one likely business counter-argument.

BUILD YOUR CASE CONCLUSION1. Make the call. 2. Use at least two relevant pieces of evidence. 3. Explain one limitation or uncertainty. 4. Finish with what can responsibly be concluded.Strong structure: My judgement is… The strongest evidence is… However, we still do not know… Therefore…

CASE CONCLUSION: Write 180–250 words evaluating the interface. Identify one legitimate persuasive technique, two manipulative or questionable design choices, a counter-argument the company might make, and your recommended redesign.

0/180 words minimum for this writing mission.

CLAIMEVIDENCELIMITATIONCONCLUSION

MATHS + DATA LAB

Check the numbers.

HOW TO SUCCEEDRead the situation first. Estimate what a sensible answer should look like, choose an efficient calculation, then use the feedback to check your reasoning.For data questions, explain what the number shows — and what it does not prove.

A “buy 2, get 1 free” offer applies to three equal-price items. What percentage discount is this compared with paying full price for all three?

MISSION 05 · MATHS + DATA LAB

DATA TRAINING

RATIO + RATE · YEAR 8 EXTENSION
6 PROBLEMS
QUICK METHODRATIO + RATE

Find one part or one unit first, then scale up.

GUIDED · Q01–Q03Use the quick method, then check the explanation.
Q01

A 2:3 ratio has 10 in the first part. What is the second part?

Q02

180 km in 3 hours is what average speed?

Q03

4 notebooks cost $12. Cost per notebook?

INDEPENDENT · Q04

Scale 1:100 means 2 cm represents…

INDEPENDENT · Q05

A recipe for 4 uses 300 g. For 8 people?

INDEPENDENT · Q06

Which is the better unit rate?

OPTIONAL CHALLENGE · OPEN RESPONSE

Two options have different starting fees and unit rates. Describe how you would find the break-even point.

0 words · optional
0 / 6 completeComplete every problem to finish the data lab.

PROJECT HQ · PROJECT FILE 03

AUDIENCE — define what the project should change or clarify.

Start something real. Build an idea, test it, improve it, and share it. Make your move.

Use strong clues and explain your decisions in your Reality Project.

PROJECT HQ · PROJECT FILE 03

AUDIENCE

PROJECT JOURNEYWEEK 3 / 9

Decide what the audience needs before choosing how to persuade or explain.

Need help with this step?
THIS WEEKAUDIENCE

Complete only this project step today. Your saved work carries forward, so you do not need to finish the whole project at once.

A STRONG STEPSpecific · useful · achievable

Use evidence from this week's mission, name a real audience or purpose, and make the idea small enough to test and improve.

BEFORE YOU SAVE, CHECK:✓ I answered every field clearly✓ I used evidence or reasoning from this week✓ My next step is realistic

Write in each box. Your answers save on this device as you type.

IDEA→RESEARCH→PLAN→BUILD→TEST→IMPROVE→PRESENT

Project sharing will be optional. A future upload system must keep private submission separate from public-showcase/marketing permission.

CHECK-IN

What changed in your thinking?

YEAR 8 · REMIX · TERM 1 / WEEK 3

NEON DRIFT: PRO

Hold controlled slides, protect your racing line and chase a clean three-lap score.

UPGRADED DIFFICULTYBEST SCORE SAVED
PLAY NEON DRIFT: PRO
A remastered ICONIC GAMES favourite · phone + keyboard controls.

YEAR 8 · SENIOR HOMEWORK CLUB

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