Building a Customer Support Ticketing System UI from Video with Replay AI

TL;DR: Replay reconstructs a functional customer support ticketing system UI directly from a video walkthrough, enabling rapid prototyping and iteration.

The promise of AI-powered code generation has always been tantalizing, but the reality often falls short. Screenshot-to-code tools offer a static representation, missing the crucial user interaction and intent. This is especially critical when building complex UIs like customer support ticketing systems, where the flow is as important as the visual design. Replay changes the game by analyzing video, not just screenshots, to understand user behavior and generate working UI code.

Understanding Behavior-Driven Reconstruction#

Traditional code generation tools rely on static images, effectively creating a visual clone. This approach is fundamentally limited because it ignores the dynamic nature of user interfaces. A customer support ticketing system isn't just a collection of buttons and forms; it's a series of interactions, workflows, and state changes.

Replay employs "Behavior-Driven Reconstruction." It treats the video as the single source of truth, analyzing every click, scroll, and form submission. This allows Replay to understand the intent behind the actions and reconstruct the UI with functional components and event handlers.

The Problem with Screenshot-to-Code#

Screenshot-to-code tools often produce:

• •Incomplete UI: Missing dynamic elements like modals, dropdowns, and loading states.
• •Non-functional code: Static HTML and CSS without event handlers or data binding.
• •Lack of context: Inability to understand the user's goal or the intended workflow.

Replay's Advantage: Video as the Blueprint#

Replay overcomes these limitations by:

• •Analyzing video recordings to understand user interactions.
• •Generating functional code with event handlers and state management.
• •Reconstructing the UI flow, including multi-page navigation and data persistence.

Building a Ticketing System UI: A Step-by-Step Guide with Replay#

Let's walk through the process of building a customer support ticketing system UI using Replay, starting from a simple video recording of a user interacting with a hypothetical system.

Step 1: Capture the Video#

Record a video of yourself (or someone else) using the ticketing system UI you want to reconstruct. This video should demonstrate:

• •Creating a new ticket.
• •Viewing existing tickets.
• •Filtering tickets by status (e.g., open, closed, pending).
• •Assigning tickets to agents.
• •Adding comments and attachments.

💡 Pro Tip: Keep the video concise and focused. Clear and deliberate actions will result in more accurate code generation.

Step 2: Upload to Replay#

Upload the video to the Replay platform. Replay will automatically analyze the video and begin reconstructing the UI.

Step 3: Review and Refine#

Once the reconstruction is complete, review the generated code. Replay provides a visual editor where you can:

• •Inspect the generated components.
• •Adjust the layout and styling.
• •Modify event handlers and data bindings.

📝 Note: While Replay strives for accuracy, some manual refinement may be necessary, especially for complex interactions or custom UI elements.

Step 4: Integrate with Supabase (Optional)#

If you're using Supabase as your backend, Replay can automatically generate the necessary database schema and API endpoints. This allows you to quickly connect your UI to a real data source.

To enable Supabase integration:

1. •Provide your Supabase project URL and API key.
2. •Define the data models for your tickets, agents, and comments.
3. •Replay will generate the necessary SQL scripts and API functions.

Step 5: Style Injection#

Replay allows you to inject your own CSS or Tailwind CSS to customize the look and feel of the generated UI. You can either upload a CSS file or provide inline styles.

typescript
// Example: Injecting Tailwind CSS classes
const applyStyles = () => {
  const buttons = document.querySelectorAll('button');
  buttons.forEach(button => {
    button.classList.add('bg-blue-500', 'hover:bg-blue-700', 'text-white', 'font-bold', 'py-2', 'px-4', 'rounded');
  });
};

applyStyles();

Step 6: Export and Deploy#

Once you're satisfied with the UI, export the generated code as a React, Vue, or HTML project. You can then deploy the project to your preferred hosting platform.

Key Features of Replay#

• •Multi-Page Generation: Replay can reconstruct entire multi-page applications from a single video.
• •Supabase Integration: Seamless integration with Supabase for data persistence and authentication.
• •Style Injection: Customize the look and feel of the UI with your own CSS or Tailwind CSS.
• •Product Flow Maps: Visualize the user flow through the application, identifying potential bottlenecks and areas for improvement.

Comparison: Replay vs. Other Code Generation Tools#

⚠️ Warning: Replay requires a clear and well-defined video input. Ambiguous or poorly recorded videos may result in inaccurate code generation.

Addressing Common Concerns#

Code Quality#

Replay generates clean, well-structured code that is easy to understand and maintain. The code is also optimized for performance and scalability.

Customization#

Replay allows you to customize the generated UI with your own CSS, Tailwind CSS, and JavaScript code. You can also modify the generated components and event handlers to meet your specific requirements.

Accuracy#

Replay's accuracy depends on the quality of the video input. Clear and deliberate actions will result in more accurate code generation. However, some manual refinement may be necessary, especially for complex interactions or custom UI elements.

Code Example: Creating a New Ticket#

Here's an example of the code Replay might generate for creating a new ticket:

typescript
// React component for creating a new ticket
import React, { useState } from 'react';

const CreateTicket = () => {
  const [title, setTitle] = useState('');
  const [description, setDescription] = useState('');

  const handleSubmit = async (e) => {
    e.preventDefault();
    // API call to create a new ticket
    const response = await fetch('/api/tickets', {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: {
        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
      },
      body: JSON.stringify({ title, description }),
    });

    if (response.ok) {
      // Reset the form
      setTitle('');
      setDescription('');
      alert('Ticket created successfully!');
    } else {
      alert('Failed to create ticket.');
    }
  };

  return (
    <form onSubmit={handleSubmit}>
      <label htmlFor="title">Title:</label>
      <input type="text" id="title" value={title} onChange={(e) => setTitle(e.target.value)} />

      <label htmlFor="description">Description:</label>
      <textarea id="description" value={description} onChange={(e) => setDescription(e.target.value)} />

      <button type="submit">Create Ticket</button>
    </form>
  );
};

export default CreateTicket;

This code snippet demonstrates how Replay can generate functional React components with state management and event handling, directly from a video recording.

Frequently Asked Questions#

Is Replay free to use?#

Replay offers a free tier with limited features. Paid plans are available for advanced features such as multi-page generation, Supabase integration, and style injection.

How is Replay different from v0.dev?#

Replay uses video as its primary input, allowing it to understand user behavior and generate functional code. v0.dev relies on text prompts, which may not capture the nuances of user interaction. Replay also offers tighter integration with Supabase for backend functionality.

What types of applications can I build with Replay?#

Replay can be used to build a wide range of applications, including customer support ticketing systems, e-commerce platforms, dashboards, and mobile apps.

What frameworks does Replay support?#

Replay currently supports React, Vue, and HTML. Support for other frameworks is planned for future releases.

Product Flow Maps: Visualizing the User Journey#

Replay generates product flow maps that visually represent the user's journey through the application. These maps can help you identify potential bottlenecks and areas for improvement. For example, a product flow map for a ticketing system might show:

1. •User lands on the dashboard.
2. •User clicks "Create New Ticket."
3. •User fills out the ticket form.
4. •User submits the ticket.
5. •User views the ticket details.

By analyzing this flow, you can identify areas where users are dropping off or experiencing difficulties.

---

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