Designed to Make You Want It
A favourite creator “just loves” a €12 drink kit — with a tiny “ad” label. At checkout a €3 extra is already ticked and a timer says “Buy now.”
Ready-to-print worksheets
PDF · Ages 13–15Beautifully designed and ready to print. Opens as a PDF you can print or save.
In the year workbook
My Money YearThis lesson has a companion in the printable year workbook: pupil pp. 36–37, teacher companion p. 30.
Learning objectives
- Spot what shows the creator may have been paid — the small “ad” label
- Work out the full checkout price when the €3 extra stays selected (€12 + €3 = €15)
- Name two design choices that push a quick decision and write one pause rule
Vocabulary
- Marketing
- All the ways a company gets you to notice and want its product.
- Influencer
- Someone online whose posts can make lots of people want things.
- Sponsored
- Paid for by a company — so it is really an advert.
- Dark Pattern
- A sneaky design that nudges you into spending or agreeing.
- Impulse
- A sudden urge to buy without stopping to think.
Materials
Minute-by-minute flow
7′
Hook
Teacher does
Read the story: a fictional creator post says “I love this €12 drink kit!” with a small “ad” label, and at checkout a €3 extra is preselected with a timer saying “Buy now.” Ask which card facts are known and what to find out.
Students do
Name the ad label, the €12 item and the +€3 extra.
13′
Model
Teacher does
Think aloud through task 1: what tells you the creator may have been paid? The small “ad” or sponsored label.
Students do
Point to the “ad” label as the sign of a paid promotion.
22′
Practise
Teacher does
Set tasks 2 and 3: if the extra stays selected, what is the full checkout price, and which two design choices push a quick decision? Add one pause rule.
Students do
Show €12 + €3 = €15, name the timer and preselected extra, and write a rule such as wait 24 hours and uncheck extras.
12′
Discuss
Teacher does
Surface the misconception: sponsorship does not by itself prove a product is bad — it is information needed to judge the recommendation.
Students do
Explain why the “ad” label matters without condemning the product.
6′
Exit
Teacher does
Pose the reflection: how can a company earn from your attention even before you buy?
Students do
Say attention can be used to show paid promotions or steer later purchases.
Check for understanding
Can the learner name the “ad” label, reach the €15 checkout total, and give a pause rule against the timer and preselected extra?
Exit ticket
With the €3 extra ticked the €12 kit costs €__ at checkout; one design trick I now notice is… and my pause rule is…
Support
Mark the ad label and extra charge in two colours.
Stretch
Rewrite the checkout so the €3 extra is clearly optional and unselected.
Home connection
Find one sponsored post and one preselected extra or countdown this week, name each, and check whether the real total matches the first price shown.