One game of Mahjong — a way to belong somewhere new.
A community-based Mahjong app that helps people sit down together — play, connect and belong.
Social Mahjong helps users create Mahjong rooms, find players, join existing games and learn the game. The project explores how a traditional multiplayer game can become a digital tool for community connection.
"Moving somewhere new means needing more than information — people need shared experiences."
When someone moves to a new city, school or community, the hardest part isn't finding a place to live — it's finding people to connect with. Many social apps focus on quick matching, but they lack a natural, relaxed and recurring activity that lets people interact meaningfully.
Mahjong is both a strategic game and a social ritual. It gathers people around one table, creating space for conversation, collaboration and cultural exchange. Social Mahjong turns this traditional game into a community-building experience.
There's no age limit at the table. Because Mahjong rewards a working memory and needs four players, it keeps people of every generation mentally sharp and socially connected. Research has even linked regular play to a lower risk of cognitive decline — and a possible delay in the onset of dementia.
Tracking the hand, weighing the odds and reading opponents keep the brain active — a habit studies tie to slower cognitive decline, and even a delayed onset of Alzheimer's.
Drawing and discarding tiles stimulates pressure points across the palm and fingers, boosting circulation and keeping finger joints supple.
As healthy social contact, play opens space for real conversation that helps ease stress and lift low moods.
A game takes four — so it draws family and friends nearer and makes meeting new people part of the fun.
Four moments in the app, one for each seat at the table — recorded straight from the prototype.
東 南 西 北 · 以 东 为 始
A warm, low-friction welcome — and where every player picks a side. Not everyone who wants to play already knows how, so during sign-in each person sets a status. Beginners join as a student and get matched with experienced players to start a learner-friendly game; players who already know how join as a teacher to guide newcomers, or pair up with other experienced players and start a game right away.
Live demoCreate a Mahjong room, set the date, location and number of players, then wait for others to join. The room becomes a relaxed social space before the game even begins — a lightweight group chat that organises itself.
Live demoBrowse profiles of people nearby who also want to play, filter by role — student or teacher — and start chatting from common ground. The shared activity does the introducing, so connection feels natural rather than forced.
Live demoA step-by-step tutorial lowers the barrier to entry and makes the community more inclusive. Even with zero experience, players can learn the tiles, the rules and the rhythm — then grow into the table at their own pace.
Live demoOpen the app → create or join a game → set the time and place → chat with players → play online or meet offline.
A new tile set was created for this project, combining traditional cultural symbols with a cleaner, more contemporary style. The tiles keep their cultural identity while becoming more approachable for younger and international players.
"A Mahjong table can be more than a place to play —
it can be a place to belong."
Through this project, I learned how to design a social product around a cultural activity. The most important challenge was not only creating useful functions, but making the experience feel welcoming, inclusive and emotionally meaningful.