One of the hardest things any organization can do is come up with the 'next big thing'. The ability to foresee events is something that no one has really been able to do consistently without a pitfall or 8. However, when a product manager does in fact generate an idea, the first thing that should be done is do our due diligence to ensure the idea is in fact plausible.
That's where a user researcher or usability specialist can come into play. It is not their job to dissuade the idea, but to discover the user base that would like to use the idea. For example, you would not market an underwater basket weaving kit to a user who does not or cannot swim. Often, the case with product development is that without research, you are throwing things out there and hoping they stick. However, when leveraging user research you can still throw things out there, but you are throwing them to a group of people who you've discovered might be interested in that kit. The cost savings in finding a general target market as well as using this target market to focus your design approach, is measurable through feedback, surveys and follow ups.
Finally, user research helps your business understand that your kit does not have to work for everyone. It is okay to focus your UI and your approach on a specific market. Remember, the user researcher is not there to find the target market or the valuation, but to ensure that the approach does fall in line with that target. So for all you underwater basket weaving aficionados out there, take it to heart that there is a user researcher ensuring that the UI and the experience fall in line what your needs specifically....
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