Dilip Chetan’s book Ignite Your Research Mojo addresses some of the most ambiguous questions posed in the field of user research.

Laden with painfully honest anecdotes and quirky illustrations, Mojo serves as a guide with an authentic approach to research. Within its folds, the reader is taken on a brisk journey into the plights of human error, flawed research processes, and stringent company cultures, all of which play their own part how people collect, receive, and use data.

People do research, Chetan says. And they’re pretty good at it -- the problem is that, in most cases, nothing ever happens after you bring back that data. Your findings die on the table.

This book will help researchers prevent this scenario from ever happening again.

Companies are still making decisions without evidence or data to support them. Research isn’t successful in most companies, and not because they’re not doing it, but because the data they collect isn’t being used properly.

Not to be mistaken as your average critique or exposition on standing research methodologies, Ignite Your Research Mojo brings a deeper level of thought to readers, exploring why we need to seek user insights, when it plays into the product development process, and how it lives (or dies) in your company.

Chetan wields a sharp first-person narrative to divulge both experiences from his own career and those of others, joining the reader in the research trenches with a fresh, authentic voice. His work is described as “Silicon Valley meets South Park,” a comical, sometimes self-deprecating, yet straightforward deliverance of what the audience needs to hear about getting real results out of research.

The encompassing text presents a salient blend of practice, philosophy, and context, giving the reader clarity and above all actionable steps to improving their research process and ensuring their findings make an impact.

Research isn't just for "researchers."

In the book, Chetan maintains the definition of user research as “the science that helps us understand the causes and manifestations of user behavior, and the resulting interactions of users with their environment.”

Researchers will finish the book having gained a better understanding of why their findings aren’t being utilized effectively, and discover what could be improved. Ignite Your Research Mojo stimulates a reflection on personal process, communication skills, company bureaucracy, and ultimately empowers the reader to self-improve.

However, Mojo is not exclusive to those who are UX researchers by trade. Designers, product managers, and engineers will rediscover the art of intelligent decision-making -- a high impact skill that benefits not only products and businesses, but creates, as Chetan puts it, “more effective human beings.”

Regardless of your level of expertise or familiarity with user research, you’ll be sure to find tried-and-true tactics, elusive answers, and copious amounts of comic relief in the book’s 244 pages.

---

About the author.

Dilip Chetan is a researcher, strategist, consultant, and a thought leader in the field of insights generation. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electronics engineering and master’s degrees in computer science, business administration, and human factors psychology.

Over the course of his career, Chetan has managed design and research teams and conducted user research for all facets of product development. He has assisted in implementing best practices, mentored new researchers, hosted workshops on decision-making with top executives, and helped nurture corporate cultures where evidence-based product development is valued. An avid researcher, he has conducted studies on a variety of topics, including the impact of loud, aggressive music on driving and the effects of sudden exposure to exploding fireworks on people’s skin-conductance levels.

Chetan lives in California with his wife and twin children.