Automating UI Documentation Generation with Replay AI

TL;DR: Replay automates UI documentation generation by analyzing video recordings of user interactions and converting them into interactive code and flow diagrams, saving developers time and ensuring accuracy.

The Pain of Manual UI Documentation#

Creating and maintaining UI documentation is a necessary evil for any software project. It's time-consuming, tedious, and often falls out of sync with the actual application, leading to confusion and frustration for developers and end-users alike. Manually documenting every button click, form submission, and page transition is a recipe for burnout. We need a better way.

Existing solutions, like screenshot-based documentation generators, fall short. They capture the visual state of the UI but fail to understand the behavior behind it. What happens when a user clicks a button? What data is being passed? What are the potential error states? These crucial details are lost in static images.

Replay offers a revolutionary approach: behavior-driven documentation generation. By analyzing video recordings of user interactions, Replay understands the intent behind each action and automatically reconstructs the UI, along with its associated logic.

Introducing Behavior-Driven UI Documentation with Replay#

Replay leverages the power of Gemini to analyze video recordings of user interactions and generate interactive UI documentation. Instead of relying on static screenshots, Replay understands the dynamic behavior of the application, providing a more accurate and comprehensive representation of the user experience.

Here's how Replay differs from traditional and screenshot-based approaches:

How Replay Works: From Video to Interactive Documentation#

Replay's magic lies in its ability to interpret user behavior from video recordings. The process can be broken down into the following steps:

1. •

   Video Recording: Capture a video of a user interacting with your application. This could be a screen recording of a user testing a new feature, a demo of a product workflow, or even a recording of yourself navigating the UI.

2. •

   Video Analysis: Replay analyzes the video, identifying UI elements, user actions (clicks, form submissions, etc.), and data flow. It uses Gemini's advanced video understanding capabilities to extract meaningful information from the visual content.

3. •

   Code Reconstruction: Based on the analysis, Replay reconstructs the UI as interactive code components. This includes HTML, CSS, and JavaScript (or your preferred framework) to replicate the behavior observed in the video.

4. •

   Documentation Generation: Replay generates comprehensive documentation, including:

   • •Interactive UI components
   • •Product flow maps visualizing user journeys
   • •Code snippets for each component
   • •API endpoint documentation (if applicable)

Step 1: Recording User Interactions#

The first step is to capture video recordings of users interacting with your application. You can use any screen recording tool, such as Loom, QuickTime, or even a simple browser extension. The key is to ensure that the recording clearly captures the UI elements and user actions.

💡 Pro Tip: Focus on recording specific workflows or features to create targeted documentation.

Step 2: Uploading and Processing the Video#

Once you have a video recording, upload it to Replay. Replay will then process the video, analyzing the UI elements and user interactions. This process may take a few minutes, depending on the length and complexity of the video.

Step 3: Reviewing and Refining the Generated Documentation#

After processing, Replay will present you with the generated documentation. You can review the generated code, product flow maps, and other documentation elements. If necessary, you can refine the generated documentation by:

• •Adjusting the automatically detected UI elements
• •Adding annotations or descriptions
• •Modifying the generated code

Step 4: Integrating the Documentation#

Finally, you can integrate the generated documentation into your existing documentation system or website. Replay provides options to export the documentation in various formats, such as HTML, Markdown, or JSON.

Real-World Examples and Code Snippets#

Let's look at a practical example of how Replay can automate UI documentation generation. Suppose you have a simple React component that displays a list of users:

typescript
// UserList.tsx
import React, { useState, useEffect } from 'react';

interface User {
  id: number;
  name: string;
  email: string;
}

const UserList: React.FC = () => {
  const [users, setUsers] = useState<User[]>([]);

  useEffect(() => {
    const fetchUsers = async () => {
      const response = await fetch('/api/users');
      const data: User[] = await response.json();
      setUsers(data);
    };

    fetchUsers();
  }, []);

  return (
    <div>
      <h2>User List</h2>
      <ul>
        {users.map(user => (
          <li key={user.id}>
            {user.name} ({user.email})
          </li>
        ))}
      </ul>
    </div>
  );
};

export default UserList;

To document this component using Replay, you would record a video of yourself interacting with the component. This could involve navigating to the page where the component is displayed, scrolling through the list of users, and perhaps clicking on a user's name to view more details (if that functionality existed).

After uploading the video to Replay, it would automatically generate documentation similar to this (depending on the specifics of your video):

• •Interactive Component: A live, interactive version of the
  text

  UserList
  component.
• •Code Snippet: The code for the
  text

  UserList
  component, as shown above.
• •Product Flow Map: A diagram showing the user's journey from the initial page load to viewing the list of users.
• •API Endpoint Documentation: Documentation for the
  text

  /api/users
  endpoint, including request and response examples.

Replay can even infer state changes. For example, if you record a video of a form submission that triggers an API call, Replay can automatically generate documentation for the API endpoint, including the request and response schemas. Consider this simple form:

typescript
// Example Form
const [name, setName] = useState('');

const handleSubmit = async (e) => {
  e.preventDefault();
  const response = await fetch('/api/submit', {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
    body: JSON.stringify({ name })
  });
  const data = await response.json();
  console.log(data);
};

return (
  <form onSubmit={handleSubmit}>
    <input type="text" value={name} onChange={(e) => setName(e.target.value)} />
    <button type="submit">Submit</button>
  </form>
);

Replay, by analyzing the video, can infer that a POST request is being made to

with a body containing the field. It can then generate the following documentation:

text
## API Endpoint: /api/submit

**Method:** POST

**Request Body:**

```json
{
  "name": "string"
}

Response:

json
{
  "message": "Submission successful"
}

📝 Note: Replay's accuracy depends on the clarity of the video recording and the complexity of the UI. In some cases, manual refinement may be necessary.

Advanced Features: Supabase Integration and Style Injection#

Replay offers several advanced features to further enhance your UI documentation workflow:

• •

  Supabase Integration: Seamlessly integrate with your Supabase backend to automatically document API endpoints and data models. Replay can analyze the data being fetched and displayed in your UI to generate comprehensive documentation for your Supabase database.

• •

  Style Injection: Customize the look and feel of the generated documentation by injecting custom CSS styles. This allows you to seamlessly integrate the documentation into your existing design system.

Benefits of Automating UI Documentation with Replay#

• •Saves Time and Effort: Automates the tedious process of manually creating and maintaining UI documentation.
• •Ensures Accuracy: Captures the actual behavior of the UI, reducing the risk of errors and inconsistencies.
• •Improves Collaboration: Provides a shared understanding of the UI for developers, designers, and product managers.
• •Enhances User Experience: Creates clear and comprehensive documentation for end-users, improving their understanding of the application.
• •Keeps Documentation Up-to-Date: Easily update documentation by recording new videos, ensuring that it always reflects the latest changes to the UI.

⚠️ Warning: While Replay automates much of the documentation process, it's still important to review and refine the generated documentation to ensure accuracy and completeness.

Frequently Asked Questions#

Is Replay free to use?#

Replay offers a free tier with limited features and usage. Paid plans are available for more advanced features and higher usage limits. Check the Replay pricing page for the latest details.

How is Replay different from v0.dev?#

While both Replay and v0.dev aim to streamline UI development, they operate on fundamentally different principles. v0.dev generates code from text prompts, focusing on design and initial code scaffolding. Replay, on the other hand, analyzes video recordings to understand user behavior and reconstruct working UI. Replay focuses on documentation and capturing existing functionality, not initial code generation. Think of it this way: v0.dev creates, Replay documents.

What types of applications can Replay document?#

Replay can document a wide range of web applications, including React, Angular, Vue.js, and other JavaScript frameworks. It can also document native mobile applications, as long as you can capture a video recording of the UI.

What if the video quality is poor?#

While Replay's AI is robust, poor video quality can impact accuracy. Ensure clear, well-lit recordings with minimal distractions for best results.

---

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