The deterioration of IT

Absolutely nothing to do with a BA. They are barely computer literate in most IT companies especially compared to the rest of the company. They in noway would know GUI standard icons and their use that is a programmers job all the way and the testers to also know. If a tester sees a non standard use of an icon they go to the development team to make sure they know the standards as you say because they will release whatever they are allowed.

Usually what happens is development are shown their bad work and say they don't have time to correct it and BA agree. They claim they will fix it later and then never do so the standard is never followed. The users don't really notice as they don't use enough software to notice it is badly done so they sign off.

This is in corporate software mostly but has crept into consumer software as the developers have been held to a low quality standard elswhere

I never said it was unnecessary because it is required. We want them to report the problem if it occurs not ignore it nor panic. It is a choice on how to deal with a real issue that may occur and can't be eliminated.

The users are mushrooms in many case are barely IT literate and easily scared. We changed the message for the very reason the staff freaked out and/or ignored errors. Also used intentionally sometimes to find staff gaming the system. Works extremely well this way whether you think it is a good solution or not. Less panic and more accurate reporting.

Very common practice. Warning message are meant to be user friendly but errors reports only need to be understood by certain people

They don't make a decision on how an icon looks they can tell you that the icon being used is incorrect for the function. The BA does not determine development standards nor decide they should work differently to standard. BA is not in control of anything like you say and if they are where you work leave.

A BA can say they want a prompt button to be a drop down function all they like but the developer can go back and say that is not allowed. If the tester is the one pointing it out both Development and Business Analysis have failed to follow development rules then there is a problem.

I grew up in a working class area and neighbours had them too and by 84 over half the class had them. The Sinclear Spectrum was most popular and cheap. It may have been Christmas 82 I got my VIC20

You used the one TV in the house but I did get the Amstrad CPC which came with a monitor later on. That has CPM as opposed to DOS

You are aware of a prompt button with the 3 dots on it? It is a prompt button as per industry standards

https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/Cocoa/Conceptual/Button/Tasks/SettingButtonType.html

BA do not design software they find out the requirements from the business. The design is done by a development team that may have an architect or not. Testers check it works as it is meant to and follows standards.

Had a BA playing silly buggers with interfaces wanting all non standard use of icons/buttons. He got it live in the end with a huge list of bugs from his "new" way of thinking. When he came back for the next project to carry on everything he was told everything would be to standard. The users got mad and wanted it to be consistent so he tried to get the developers to do the same again. The new developer lead was having none of it so all the existing bugs had to be fixed on the already paid for work. BA got a roasted because he had removed all GUI bugs from reports when he finished the product

I can only tell you my experience and the numbers in my school at the time. I grew up in Dublin 5 and not the posh part in Raheny and computers were common. Were you alive then experiencing the 80s are basing it on looking up the costs now?

Spectrum was the most common then Commadore 64

You do get tradesmen and sole traders have accounts? Computers as an expense was even a thing then too. Were you about in the 80s? Even the neighbours with 5 kids and sole salary of a factory operator had a BBC computer in 86. I was raised in a working class area right beside one of the worst council estates in the country going to school with people who lived there. They had computers. You seem to be missing the Spectrum was cheap and that was the majority.

You know I didn’t say somebody working in a factory bought a computer in 81 but by 86. You could actually go to place with files and get them printed or bring the file to the accountant to file. Well at 13 I was doing book keeping in school and was just filing and filling in a spread sheet. At 16 I was doing technical drawings for buildings that still stand to this day. Not everybody had a childhood where they did nothing but play.

we also had greyhounds we raced but nobody working class does that. I had to get up at 7am to walk them 4 miles everyday before school and then after school the same. Wether didn’t matter. We may have been better off than some in the area but not the wealthiest by a long shot.

i don’t think you know what working class is because even management in the civil service are working class. So you do have private estates beside a council estate and they are all working class.