Making the Hard Stuff Fun: Dr. Jacqui Nortje on Gamification That Actually Works

Gamification isn’t just about badges and points—it’s about designing systems that make difficult behaviors feel doable, even fun. In this episode of Deep Thoughts with Michelle Handy, we’re joined by Dr. Jacqui Nortje, a behavioral scientist and gamification expert based in Johannesburg, South Africa. With over a decade of experience in South Africa’s wellness and financial services industries, Jacqui blends academic rigor and real-world product design to explore how we can build systems that drive meaningful and sustainable behavior change.

From understanding motivation to reframing goals to self-experimentation with exercise and sugar habits, this episode is packed with insights for anyone working in behavior change, digital health, or simply trying to build better habits themselves.

Episode Highlights

• Gamification Demystified: What it really means (hint: it’s not just about “fun”) and why effective gamification design centers on motivation and human needs.
• Framing Goals to Match Readiness: Why performance goals can backfire too early, and how Jacqui’s PhD research reveals the power of learning and hybrid-framed goals.
• Designing for Real Life: How stress, seasonality, and shifting routines derail good habits—and how games can help people get back on track.
• Motivation on a Spectrum: What self-determination theory teaches us about moving from extrinsic to intrinsic motivation—and what product teams often miss.
• When Gamification Fails: Why point systems and leaderboards often fall short, and what to do instead.
• Self-Gamification in Practice: Jacqui shares personal experiments with home workouts and sugar reduction—and what she learned when her goals succeeded (and when they didn’t).

Why You Should Listen
If you're designing a health or fitness product, leading a behavior change initiative, or simply trying to build a better habit system for yourself—this episode will challenge and inspire you to rethink what makes motivation stick. Jacqui blends science, strategy, and humanity in a way that’s refreshingly real.

Connect with Dr. Jacqui Nortje

• LinkedIn 
• Substack: Long-form reflections on gamification, habits, and behavior change