Better alternative to "physical product designer"

If I were to contrast digital with something, I would contrast it with material:

[Merriam-Webster]
1 a(1) : relating to, derived from, or consisting of matter
especially : PHYSICAL
           // the material world
1 a(2) : BODILY
           // material needs
1 b(1) : of or relating to matter rather than form
           // material cause
           // the material aspect of being

To me, although closely related, material seems like a broader term than just physical. Not only does it describe the composition of something, but also describes how it might be applied and interacted with in practice.

As such, you would have these contrasting terms:

  • digital-product manager
  • material-product manager

Note that I have used hyphens in both in order to avoid any ambiguity. (A computer-generated image of a product manager could be described as digital, for instance.)


A comment under the question suggested tangible.

I like that word, but one sense of tangible is not just physical, but observable:

[Merriam-Webster]
2 : capable of being precisely identified or realized by the mind
// her grief was tangible

Obviously, grief itself is not physical; however, by this sense, it is tangible. The same could be said of something like software.