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January 5, 20267 min readHow to Convert

How to Convert Design Into Production Code with React Native & UI Replay AI for scaling 2026

R
Replay Team
Developer Advocates

TL;DR: Replay leverages AI to analyze video recordings of user interactions, generating production-ready React Native code, streamlining the design-to-code process for faster scaling.

The design-to-code bottleneck is a major impediment to scaling software development in 2026. Manually translating designs into functional React Native components is time-consuming, error-prone, and often leads to inconsistencies. The solution? Behavior-driven reconstruction using video as the source of truth. This approach, pioneered by Replay, is revolutionizing how teams convert design into production code.

Understanding the Design-to-Code Challenge#

Traditional methods of converting designs into code rely on static mockups and specifications. This approach suffers from several limitations:

  • Lack of Context: Static designs don't capture the dynamic behavior of the UI.
  • Communication Gaps: Designers and developers often misinterpret each other's intentions.
  • Manual Translation: The process of translating designs into code is manual and tedious.
  • Inconsistencies: Maintaining consistency between the design and the code is challenging.

Replay addresses these challenges by analyzing video recordings of user interactions. This allows Replay to understand the intent behind the design, not just the visual appearance.

Replay: Video-to-Code Engine for React Native#

Replay is a game-changer for React Native development. It uses AI to analyze video recordings of user interactions and automatically generate production-ready code. This approach offers several advantages:

  • Speed: Replay significantly reduces the time it takes to convert designs into code.
  • Accuracy: Replay ensures that the code accurately reflects the intended behavior of the UI.
  • Consistency: Replay maintains consistency between the design and the code.
  • Collaboration: Replay facilitates collaboration between designers and developers.
FeatureScreenshot-to-CodeTraditional Hand-CodingReplay
InputScreenshotsDesign SpecsVideo Recordings
Behavior UnderstandingLimitedManual InterpretationComprehensive AI-powered Analysis
Code QualityBasicDeveloper DependentProduction-Ready
Time SavingsModerateNoneSignificant
IntegrationLimitedRequires Custom SetupSeamless Supabase & Style Injection

Key Features of Replay#

Replay offers a range of features that make it a powerful tool for React Native development:

  • Multi-Page Generation: Replay can generate code for multi-page applications.
  • Supabase Integration: Replay seamlessly integrates with Supabase, allowing you to quickly build backend functionality.
  • Style Injection: Replay automatically injects styles into the generated code, ensuring that the UI looks exactly as intended.
  • Product Flow Maps: Replay generates product flow maps that visualize the user's journey through the application.
  • Behavior-Driven Reconstruction: Replay analyzes video to understand WHAT users are trying to do, not just what they see.

Step-by-Step Guide: Converting Video to React Native Code with Replay#

Here's a step-by-step guide to using Replay to convert a video recording into React Native code:

Step 1: Record a Video of the UI Interaction#

Record a video of the UI interaction that you want to convert into code. Make sure the video is clear and captures all the relevant interactions. Use a tool like QuickTime or OBS Studio.

💡 Pro Tip: Speak clearly during the recording to explain your actions and the intended behavior of the UI. This will help Replay understand your intentions.

Step 2: Upload the Video to Replay#

Upload the video to Replay. Replay will automatically analyze the video and generate code.

Step 3: Review and Refine the Generated Code#

Review the generated code and make any necessary refinements. Replay provides a visual editor that allows you to easily modify the code.

Step 4: Integrate the Code into Your React Native Project#

Integrate the generated code into your React Native project. You can copy and paste the code directly into your project, or you can use Replay's CLI to automatically generate the necessary files.

Example: Generating a Simple React Native Component#

Let's say you have a video recording of a user interacting with a simple React Native component that displays a greeting message. Replay can automatically generate the following code:

typescript
import React, { useState } from 'react'; import { View, Text, TextInput, Button, StyleSheet } from 'react-native'; const GreetingComponent = () => { const [name, setName] = useState(''); const [greeting, setGreeting] = useState(''); const handleInputChange = (text: string) => { setName(text); }; const handleButtonClick = () => { setGreeting(`Hello, ${name}!`); }; return ( <View style={styles.container}> <Text style={styles.label}>Enter your name:</Text> <TextInput style={styles.input} onChangeText={handleInputChange} value={name} placeholder="Your Name" /> <Button title="Greet Me" onPress={handleButtonClick} /> {greeting ? <Text style={styles.greeting}>{greeting}</Text> : null} </View> ); }; const styles = StyleSheet.create({ container: { padding: 20, }, label: { fontSize: 16, marginBottom: 5, }, input: { height: 40, borderColor: 'gray', borderWidth: 1, marginBottom: 10, paddingHorizontal: 10, }, greeting: { fontSize: 18, marginTop: 10, fontWeight: 'bold', }, }); export default GreetingComponent;

This code is production-ready and can be directly integrated into your React Native project.

📝 Note: Replay can generate code for more complex components and interactions, including animations, transitions, and data fetching.

Scaling Your Development with Replay#

Replay can help you scale your React Native development efforts by:

  • Reducing development time: Replay automates the process of converting designs into code, freeing up developers to focus on more complex tasks.
  • Improving code quality: Replay generates production-ready code that is consistent and accurate.
  • Facilitating collaboration: Replay makes it easier for designers and developers to collaborate on UI development.
  • Accelerating time to market: Replay helps you get your products to market faster by reducing the time it takes to develop UIs.

Integrating with Supabase for Backend Functionality#

Replay's seamless integration with Supabase allows you to quickly build backend functionality for your React Native applications. You can use Replay to generate code for interacting with Supabase databases, authentication services, and real-time subscriptions.

For example, if your video recording shows a user submitting a form, Replay can automatically generate the code for storing the form data in a Supabase database.

typescript
import { createClient } from '@supabase/supabase-js'; const supabaseUrl = 'YOUR_SUPABASE_URL'; const supabaseKey = 'YOUR_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY'; const supabase = createClient(supabaseUrl, supabaseKey); const submitFormData = async (data: any) => { const { error } = await supabase .from('form_data') .insert([data]); if (error) { console.error('Error inserting data:', error); } else { console.log('Data inserted successfully!'); } }; // Example usage const formData = { name: 'John Doe', email: 'john.doe@example.com', message: 'Hello from the form!', }; submitFormData(formData);

This code demonstrates how to use the Supabase client to insert data into a database table. Replay can automatically generate this code based on the user's interactions in the video recording.

⚠️ Warning: Always protect your Supabase API keys and never expose them in client-side code. Use environment variables or a secure configuration management system.

Frequently Asked Questions#

Is Replay free to use?#

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

How is Replay different from v0.dev?#

Replay analyzes video recordings of user interactions to understand the intent behind the design, while v0.dev primarily uses text prompts. Replay's video-based approach allows it to generate more accurate and context-aware code. Also, Replay offers deeper integrations with tools like Supabase and focuses on behavior-driven reconstruction.

What types of UI interactions can Replay handle?#

Replay can handle a wide range of UI interactions, including button clicks, form submissions, scrolling, animations, and transitions.

What code output formats are supported?#

Replay currently supports React Native code generation. Support for other frameworks and platforms is planned for future releases.


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

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