I usually just read comments and absorb… but found I had to comment on this topic:
It is still very perplexing to most people and drives me bonkers when people ask me to decorate their homes or give them decorating tips!? I am still surprised that most Americans know what a graphic designer or interior designer or architect does, but when it comes to ID or how products come to life, they are either clueless or assume that engineers are product designers or that ID is interior design.
Lately, I just say product designer… the one who drive the aesthetics, color, form and ergonomics behind a product. I then throw in that I am not an engineer but that we work closely with them to figure out the mechanics of the product. That usually works for me.