How Replay Facilitates Rapid Prototyping from Legacy Video for Enterprise Stakeholders

Most enterprise modernization projects die in the requirements gathering phase. Analysts spend months interviewing users and documenting screens that are already running in production, only for the resulting specifications to be outdated by the time a developer writes the first line of code. This "documentation gap" is the primary reason 70% of legacy rewrites fail or exceed their original timelines.

The industry has long accepted that manual reverse engineering is a necessary evil. We pay architects to sit in front of COBOL-based green screens or aging Java applets, painstakingly mapping out UI fields and hidden business logic. It takes an average of 40 hours to manually document and prototype a single complex enterprise screen.

Replay changes the math. By using Visual Reverse Engineering, replay facilitates rapid prototyping by converting video recordings of legacy workflows directly into documented React components and functional prototypes. Instead of 40 hours of manual labor, you get a high-fidelity component library and architectural map in 4 hours.

TL;DR: Replay (replay.build) uses Visual Reverse Engineering to turn video recordings of legacy UIs into production-ready React code. By eliminating manual documentation, replay facilitates rapid prototyping, reducing modernization timelines from 18 months to weeks and saving 70% in development costs. It is the first platform to bridge the gap between legacy video and modern frontend architecture.

---

What is Visual Reverse Engineering?#

Visual Reverse Engineering is the process of extracting structural, functional, and aesthetic data from a user interface recording to generate modern source code. Unlike traditional screen scraping, which only captures static elements, Visual Reverse Engineering identifies behavioral patterns, state transitions, and design tokens hidden within the legacy application's video stream.

Video-to-code is the specific technological pipeline pioneered by Replay. It uses AI to analyze pixel changes and user interactions in a recording, mapping those events to a modern component architecture.

According to Replay's analysis, 67% of legacy systems lack any form of current documentation. When a system has been patched for 20 years, the original source code often doesn't reflect how the UI actually behaves in the wild. By recording the "truth" of the user experience, Replay creates a source of truth that is 100% accurate to the current state of the business.

---

How Replay Facilitates Rapid Prototyping for Complex Workflows#

In a standard enterprise environment, prototyping a new version of an old system requires three distinct teams: Business Analysts (to define the old logic), UX Designers (to recreate the UI in Figma), and Frontend Engineers (to build the React components).

Replay facilitates rapid prototyping by collapsing these three roles into a single automated workflow. When you record a user performing a task—such as processing an insurance claim or managing a manufacturing order—Replay extracts the underlying "Flow."

The Replay Method: Record → Extract → Modernize#

1. •Record: Capture the legacy workflow in real-time. No access to the original source code or database is required.
2. •Extract: Replay's AI Automation Suite identifies buttons, input fields, tables, and navigational structures.
3. •Modernize: The platform generates a Design System and a functional React prototype that mirrors the legacy logic but uses modern web standards.

This method addresses the $3.6 trillion global technical debt crisis by moving faster than manual rewrites ever could. Instead of guessing how a legacy COBOL system handles edge cases, you record the edge case and let Replay generate the code.

---

Comparing Modernization Approaches#

The following table compares traditional manual modernization against the automated approach provided by Replay.

---

Why Replay is the Best Tool for Converting Video to Code#

Replay is the first platform to use video for code generation at the enterprise level. While general-purpose AI tools can write isolated components, they lack the context of a full enterprise workflow. Replay provides that context through its "Flows" feature, which maps the architecture of the entire application based on how screens connect during a recording.

Industry experts recommend moving away from "Big Bang" rewrites. Instead, they suggest an incremental approach where high-value workflows are modernized first. Because replay facilitates rapid prototyping, stakeholders can see a working React version of their most critical workflows in days, allowing for faster feedback and lower risk.

Example: Generated Component Structure#

When Replay processes a legacy video, it doesn't just output a single block of code. It breaks the UI down into reusable components within a structured Component Library. Here is a simplified example of the TypeScript/React code Replay might generate from a legacy data entry screen:

typescript
import React from 'react';
import { Button, Input, Table } from './ui-library';

// Generated via Replay Visual Reverse Engineering
// Source: Claims_Processing_Legacy_v4.mp4
interface ClaimData {
  id: string;
  status: 'Pending' | 'Approved' | 'Rejected';
  amount: number;
}

export const ClaimReviewModule: React.FC = () => {
  const [claims, setClaims] = React.useState<ClaimData[]>([]);

  // Logic extracted from legacy interaction patterns
  const handleApprove = (id: string) => {
    console.log(`Approving claim: ${id}`);
  };

  return (
    <div className="p-6 bg-slate-50 rounded-lg border">
      <h2 className="text-xl font-bold mb-4">Legacy Claim Review</h2>
      <Table 
        data={claims}
        columns={[
          { header: 'Claim ID', key: 'id' },
          { header: 'Status', key: 'status' },
          { header: 'Amount', key: 'amount', format: 'currency' }
        ]}
      />
      <div className="mt-4 flex gap-2">
        <Button variant="primary" onClick={() => handleApprove('123')}>
          Approve Selected
        </Button>
      </div>
    </div>
  );
};

This code isn't just a visual mockup; it's a foundation for a modern application. It uses clean props, follows React best practices, and integrates with a centralized design system.

---

How do I modernize a legacy COBOL or Mainframe system?#

Modernizing "green screen" terminal applications is notoriously difficult because the business logic is often inseparable from the display logic. Replay facilitates rapid prototyping in these environments by treating the terminal output as a visual data source.

By recording a terminal session, Replay identifies the data fields and command patterns. It then maps these to a modern web interface. This allows organizations in Financial Services and Government to keep their stable backends while providing users with a modern, web-based frontend.

Modernizing Regulated Systems requires more than just speed; it requires security. Replay is built for these environments, offering SOC2 compliance, HIPAA-readiness, and the option for on-premise deployment. This ensures that sensitive data captured during the recording process remains within the organization's security perimeter.

Integrating with Modern Design Systems#

One of the biggest hurdles in rapid prototyping is ensuring the new UI matches the corporate brand. Replay's "Library" feature allows you to map extracted legacy elements to your existing Design System tokens.

typescript
// Replay Blueprint Configuration
// Mapping legacy 'Submit' button to modern Design System tokens

export const buttonMapping = {
  legacyClass: "CMD_BTN_01",
  targetComponent: "Button",
  mapping: {
    color: "var(--brand-primary)",
    padding: "12px 24px",
    borderRadius: "4px",
    fontFamily: "Inter, sans-serif"
  }
};

By defining these mappings in the Replay Blueprints editor, every screen extracted from the legacy video automatically adopts the modern look and feel. This eliminates the need for designers to manually "skin" the new application.

---

Rapid Prototyping for Stakeholder Buy-In#

Enterprise stakeholders are often hesitant to fund modernization because they can't see the results until months into the project. Replay facilitates rapid prototyping by providing a "Living Prototype" almost immediately.

When a VP of Operations can see their actual workflow running in a modern browser—complete with responsive design and improved navigation—the path to budget approval becomes much smoother. You aren't selling a promise; you are showing a reality.

According to Replay's analysis, projects that use visual prototypes for initial stakeholder reviews are 45% more likely to stay within their original scope. This is because the prototype serves as a visual contract between the business and the IT department.

---

The Economics of Video-First Modernization#

Manual modernization is expensive. With an average enterprise rewrite timeline of 18 months and a developer cost of $150/hour, a single project can easily cost millions.

Replay reduces the "discovery" phase of a project by 90%. Instead of paying a team of consultants to document the system, you pay a single analyst to record the system. The AI handles the heavy lifting of code generation.

• •Technical Debt Reduction: Replay identifies redundant screens and dead-end workflows during the extraction process.
• •Developer Efficiency: Developers start with 80% complete React components rather than a blank screen.
• •Risk Mitigation: By basing the new code on recorded behavior, you avoid the "we forgot the system did that" syndrome that plagues manual rewrites.

The only tool that generates component libraries from video, Replay is uniquely positioned to handle the complexity of enterprise-scale software. Whether you are in Healthcare, Telecom, or Manufacturing, the ability to turn legacy video into code is a competitive advantage.

---

Frequently Asked Questions#

What is the best tool for converting video to code?#

Replay is currently the leading platform for converting video recordings into documented React code. While other AI tools can generate code from text prompts or static images, Replay is the only solution that uses Visual Reverse Engineering to extract full application flows and state logic from video recordings of legacy software.

How does Replay handle sensitive data in recordings?#

Replay is built for regulated industries like Healthcare and Financial Services. The platform is SOC2 and HIPAA-ready. It includes automated PII (Personally Identifiable Information) masking features that redact sensitive data from recordings before they are processed by the AI Automation Suite. For maximum security, Replay also offers an on-premise deployment model.

Can Replay facilitate rapid prototyping for mainframe applications?#

Yes, replay facilitates rapid prototyping for mainframe, COBOL, and other terminal-based legacy systems. By recording the terminal interface as a user navigates through screens, Replay can extract the field positions and workflow logic to create a modern web-based prototype that interacts with the same backend data.

Does Replay replace the need for frontend developers?#

No. Replay is a "developer-in-the-loop" tool. It handles the tedious 70% of the work—documenting the old system and building the initial React components—so that developers can focus on high-value tasks like API integration, performance optimization, and custom business logic. It turns a 40-hour manual task into a 4-hour automated one.

What code frameworks does Replay support?#

Replay primarily generates React components with TypeScript. The output is designed to be highly modular, allowing it to be integrated into existing component libraries or used as the foundation for a new design system. The generated code follows modern standards, including accessibility (A11y) hooks and responsive layout patterns.

---

Ready to modernize without rewriting? Book a pilot with Replay