ABOUT

Erik Asia is a Filipino industrial designer, educator, and researcher currently based in BC, Canada. 

He holds a Master of Design (Interaction) from Emily Carr University of Art + Design and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Industrial Design) from the University of the Philippines Diliman.

His design and research practices surround his interests in affordance-based design, discursive design, human factors and ergonomics, digital fabrication, and design education, all grounded in principles of embodied cognition. Through his design and research practices, Erik seeks to develop a conscious awareness of our physical interactions and engagements with the world, highlight designed objects as cultural and social artefacts for discourse, and create tangible learning tools that emphasize embodied cognition principles in design pedagogy.

Curriculum Vitae

Education

Emily Carr University of Art + Design
Master of Design (Interaction), 2024

• Thesis: The In Between (Cognitive Ergonomics Evaluation in Public Spaces: A Cultural-Affordance-Based Approach)

University of the Philippines Diliman, Magna Cum Laude
Bachelor of Fine Arts (Industrial Design), 2022

Work Experience

Emily Carr University of Art + Design
Sessional Instructor, 08/2024 - PRESENT

• Developed and delivered industrial design course materials covering the development of student projects in studio, foundations of freehand drawing and drafting, ergonomics, 3D prototyping, and design development.

• Conducts teaching and teaching-related duties that include course material preparation, student consultation, and student assessment.

Genome British Columbia
Product Development Designer, 01/2025 - 06/2025

• Designed and developed an interactive tabletop escape room that aids in teaching high school life sciences in classrooms across British Columbia for Genome BC’s educational outreach program, Geneskool, using digital fabrication methods (3D Printing and CNC Laser Cutting).

• Designed visual assets that align with the narrative and theme of the tabletop escape room, including imagery that evokes the setting and characters described by the narrative and 3D design of interactive elements used by players, including a tabletop clue board and breakout box.

• Collaborated with the game development team and Senior Education Manager to ensure that visuals integrated seamlessly with game mechanics and existing branding.

• Sourced and tested materials for physical elements of the escape room to meet specified dimensions.

• Ensured all designs contribute to the immersion and storytelling of the escape room.

A&K Robotics
Experimental Interaction Designer, 05/2024 - 06/2024

• Drafted recommendations based on ergonomics and anthropometrics assessment performed on Autonomous People
  Mover (APM) product.

• Collaborated with external fabricator to design a modular seat and backrest cushion for the APM.

• Designed graphic assets for promotional materials.

Animate Materials Workshop at ECUAD
Industrial Design Research Assistant, 06/2023 - 10/2023

• Reviewed existing under-the-camera DIY animation stand set-ups.
• Recommended a flatpack, laser-cut process to allow student animators easy access to an open-source file to fabricate their own animation stands.
• Conceptualized, designed, prototyped, and tested multiplane animation stand iterations with animation researcher assistant as user.

Emily Carr University of Art + Design
Research Assistant (Conducting Creative Research Writing Group), 01/2023 - 08/2023

• Conducted literature reviews on responsible conduct of research and research ethics in art and design scholarship.
• Consolidated literature reviews into a summary database for recordkeeping and reference.

UPD Humanitarian Engineering, Entrepreneurship, and Design (HEED) Research Group
Industrial Designer & Researcher, 07/2020 - 12/2021

• Collaborated with a team of engineering and design students to design a reconfigurable woman-centred birthing tool concept that accommodates a variety of labour positions for a positive birthing experience.
• Conducted exploratory interviews with rural health practitioners, doulas, doctors, engineers, designers, and mothers to identify challenges faced in labour and birthing, especially in rural areas of the Philippines.
• Created advocacy graphic materials for social media and pitch decks.

A2 Design Lab
Product Design and Development Intern, 07/2021 - 08/2021

• Created a booth design concept for a biking apparel brand aimed at educating beginner cyclists of road safety precautions.
• Conducted focusing user surveys to identify beginner cyclist needs, challenges, and motivations.

UP College of Fine Arts Fabrication Lab
Fabrication Lab Intern, 07/2019 - 05/2020

• Assisted in multiple workshops in the Fabrication Lab such as 3D printing, laser cutting, vacuum forming, etc.

Honours + Awards

Association of Independent Colleges of Art & Design (AICAD)
AICAD Post-graduate Teaching Fellowship Nominee, 2024

Design Center of the Philippines
Bakong Circular Design Challenge Finalist, 2021

James Dyson Awards
Philippine National Winner, 2020

Alfredo M. Yao Intellectual Property Awards
Finalist, 2020

Publications

Asia, . E. D. (2024). The In Between (Cognitive Ergonomics Evaluation in Public Spaces: A Cultural-Affordance-Based Approach) [Thesis; Electronic]. Emily Carr University of Art and Design. https://doi.org/10.35010/ecuad:18444

Asia, E. (2024). The In-Between (Cognitive Ergonomics Evaluation in Public Spaces: A Cultural- Affordance-Based Approach). In S. Mroke (Ed.), From & Beyond Design: A Collection of Design Research Explorations (pp. 36-41). Occasional Press. 

Asia, E. (2022). WHITESPACE: A Minimal and Interactive Wall-mounted Time Visualization Tool for Self-Directed Learners that Emphasizes a Healthy Work-Life Balance through Time Blocking [Unpublished undergraduate thesis]. University of the Philippines Diliman.

Conferences

Asia, E., Klassen, L., Webb, H. (2024, April 30 – May 2). Reaching for Tools: Gaps in Awareness of Research Ethics and Responsible Conduct of Research in Art and Design Scholarship [Poster presentation]. CAREB-ACCER 2024 Virtual Conference, Canada. https://tinyurl.com/53jusrzn

Exhibitions

The Show, graduate exhibition (in-person & online), 2024
Emily Carr University of Art + Design

The Exit Project (ExP), graduate exhibition (online), 2022
University of the Philippines Diliman

Silaw, 2022
University of the Philippines Diliman

IDiD! Industrial Design Year-End Exhibition, 2019
University of the Philippines Diliman

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© Erik Asia 2025. All rights reserved.