AI-Powered UI Generation for Transportation Management Systems

TL;DR: AI-powered UI generation, specifically using Replay's video-to-code engine, revolutionizes Transportation Management Systems (TMS) development by automating UI creation directly from observed user workflows, drastically reducing development time and improving usability.

The old way of building user interfaces for Transportation Management Systems (TMS) is broken. Endless meetings, static wireframes, and iterative development cycles consume valuable time and resources. The problem? We're translating abstract requirements into code instead of leveraging the concrete actions of users within the system. Screenshots-to-code tools offer a slight improvement, but they lack the crucial understanding of user intent.

Enter AI-Powered UI Generation. And not just any AI. We're talking about leveraging video analysis to reconstruct working UI directly from observed user behavior. This is where Replay shines.

The Limitations of Traditional TMS UI Development#

Developing effective UIs for TMS platforms is notoriously complex. These systems often involve:

• •Intricate workflows: Managing shipments, tracking vehicles, generating reports, and handling exceptions require numerous interconnected screens and data inputs.
• •Legacy systems: Many TMS implementations are built on older technologies, making UI modernization a challenging and costly endeavor.
• •User-specific needs: Different roles within a transportation company (dispatchers, drivers, managers) require tailored interfaces and functionalities.

The result? Long development cycles, high costs, and UIs that often fail to meet the actual needs of end-users.

Replay: Behavior-Driven Reconstruction for TMS#

Replay offers a radically different approach. Instead of relying on static designs or incomplete screenshots, Replay analyzes video recordings of users interacting with existing TMS systems (or even prototypes). Using Gemini's powerful AI, Replay reconstructs the UI, capturing not just the visual elements, but also the underlying user intent and behavior. This "Behavior-Driven Reconstruction" dramatically accelerates UI development and ensures that the resulting interface is optimized for real-world use.

How It Works#

Replay works by treating video as the source of truth. It analyzes the video frame-by-frame, identifying UI elements, user actions (clicks, form inputs, scrolling), and the relationships between them. This analysis is then used to generate clean, functional code that replicates the observed UI and user flow.

Key Benefits for TMS Development#

• •Faster Development: Generate working UI code in minutes instead of weeks.
• •Improved Usability: Reconstruct UIs based on actual user behavior, ensuring a seamless and intuitive experience.
• •Reduced Costs: Automate UI development, freeing up developers to focus on more complex tasks.
• •Modernization Made Easy: Rebuild legacy TMS interfaces with modern UI frameworks.
• •Data-Driven Design: Understand how users actually interact with the system, enabling data-driven design decisions.

Comparison: Replay vs. Traditional and Screenshot-to-Code#

💡 Pro Tip: Use Replay to analyze recordings of user acceptance testing (UAT) sessions to quickly identify and fix usability issues.

Multi-Page Generation and Product Flow Maps#

Replay isn't limited to generating single-page UIs. It can analyze multi-page workflows, reconstructing entire user journeys within a TMS system. This is particularly useful for complex processes like:

• •Creating and dispatching shipments
• •Managing driver schedules
• •Generating and analyzing reports

Furthermore, Replay generates "Product Flow maps" that visually represent the user's path through the application. These maps provide valuable insights into user behavior and can be used to optimize the UI for efficiency.

Code Example: Reconstructing a Shipment Tracking Interface#

Let's say you have a video recording of a dispatcher using a TMS system to track a shipment. Replay can analyze this video and generate code similar to the following (using React and TypeScript):

typescript
// Generated by Replay
import React, { useState, useEffect } from 'react';

interface ShipmentData {
  shipmentId: string;
  status: string;
  location: string;
  estimatedDelivery: string;
}

const ShipmentTracker = () => {
  const [shipmentData, setShipmentData] = useState<ShipmentData | null>(null);
  const [shipmentId, setShipmentId] = useState<string>('');

  const fetchShipmentData = async (id: string) => {
    // Replace with your actual API endpoint
    const response = await fetch(`/api/shipments/${id}`);
    const data = await response.json();
    setShipmentData(data);
  };

  useEffect(() => {
    if (shipmentId) {
      fetchShipmentData(shipmentId);
    }
  }, [shipmentId]);

  return (
    <div>
      <h1>Shipment Tracker</h1>
      <input
        type="text"
        placeholder="Enter Shipment ID"
        value={shipmentId}
        onChange={(e) => setShipmentId(e.target.value)}
      />

      {shipmentData && (
        <div>
          <p>Shipment ID: {shipmentData.shipmentId}</p>
          <p>Status: {shipmentData.status}</p>
          <p>Location: {shipmentData.location}</p>
          <p>Estimated Delivery: {shipmentData.estimatedDelivery}</p>
        </div>
      )}
    </div>
  );
};

export default ShipmentTracker;

This code provides a basic shipment tracking interface, complete with input field and display of shipment information. Replay can even infer the data structure (

interface) based on the video analysis.

📝 Note: This is a simplified example. Replay can generate much more complex UIs, including data tables, charts, and interactive maps.

Style Injection and Supabase Integration#

Replay supports style injection, allowing you to customize the generated UI to match your brand and design guidelines. You can provide custom CSS or use a CSS-in-JS library to style the components.

Furthermore, Replay seamlessly integrates with Supabase, a popular open-source Firebase alternative. This allows you to quickly connect the generated UI to a backend database and authentication system.

Step-by-Step: Building a TMS Dashboard with Replay and Supabase#

Here's a simplified example of how to use Replay and Supabase to build a TMS dashboard:

Step 1: Record User Workflow#

Record a video of a user interacting with an existing TMS system or a prototype dashboard. Ensure the video captures all the key interactions and data inputs.

Step 2: Upload to Replay#

Upload the video to Replay and let it analyze the user workflow. Replay will generate the UI code and product flow map.

Step 3: Connect to Supabase#

Configure Replay to connect to your Supabase project. This will allow Replay to generate code that interacts with your Supabase database.

typescript
// Example of fetching data from Supabase
import { createClient } from '@supabase/supabase-js';

const supabaseUrl = 'YOUR_SUPABASE_URL';
const supabaseKey = 'YOUR_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY';
const supabase = createClient(supabaseUrl, supabaseKey);

const fetchShipments = async () => {
  const { data, error } = await supabase
    .from('shipments')
    .select('*');

  if (error) {
    console.error('Error fetching shipments:', error);
    return [];
  }

  return data;
};

Step 4: Customize and Deploy#

Customize the generated UI with style injection and add any additional functionality. Deploy the application to your preferred hosting provider.

⚠️ Warning: Always sanitize user inputs and implement proper security measures when connecting to a database.

Addressing the Skepticism#

I know what you're thinking: "Video-to-code? That sounds too good to be true." And I understand the skepticism. But Replay is not just another screenshot-to-code tool. It's a fundamentally different approach that leverages the power of AI to understand user behavior and generate working UI.

The key differentiator is the behavioral analysis. Replay doesn't just see pixels; it understands actions, intentions, and context. This allows it to generate code that is not only visually accurate but also functionally correct and optimized for user experience.

Frequently Asked Questions#

Is Replay free to use?#

Replay offers a free tier with limited features. Paid plans are available for more advanced functionality and higher usage limits.

How is Replay different from v0.dev?#

While both Replay and v0.dev use AI to generate UI code, Replay focuses on behavior-driven reconstruction from video, while v0.dev primarily uses text prompts. Replay understands user workflows and generates code based on observed behavior, resulting in more accurate and usable UIs, particularly for complex systems like TMS.

What frameworks and languages does Replay support?#

Replay currently supports React, Vue, and Angular, with plans to add support for more frameworks in the future. It generates TypeScript code.

What are the limitations of Replay?#

Replay requires high-quality video recordings to generate accurate code. Complex animations and transitions may not be fully supported. It is also important to review and test the generated code to ensure it meets your specific requirements.

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Ready to try behavior-driven code generation? Get started with Replay - transform any video into working code in seconds.