How to Convert Video of a Figma Prototype to a React Web App With Replay AI

TL;DR: Learn how Replay AI converts video recordings of Figma prototypes into fully functional React web applications, leveraging behavior-driven reconstruction for accurate and maintainable code.

From Figma Prototype to React App: A Video-Powered Transformation#

Building web applications often starts with designing prototypes in tools like Figma. However, translating these visual designs into working code can be a tedious and error-prone process. Traditional methods rely heavily on manual coding or screenshot-to-code tools, which often fail to capture the nuances of user interaction and application logic. Replay offers a revolutionary approach by analyzing video recordings of your Figma prototypes and automatically generating functional React code. This behavior-driven reconstruction ensures that the resulting code accurately reflects the intended user experience.

The Problem with Screenshot-to-Code#

Screenshot-to-code tools have emerged as a potential solution for speeding up UI development. However, they suffer from inherent limitations:

• •Static Representation: Screenshots only capture a single frame, missing crucial information about animations, transitions, and user interactions.
• •Lack of Context: They don't understand the underlying logic or data flow of the application.
• •Limited Customization: The generated code often requires significant manual adjustments and may not be easily integrated into existing projects.

These limitations result in code that is often brittle, difficult to maintain, and ultimately fails to capture the dynamic nature of modern web applications.

Replay: Behavior-Driven Reconstruction#

Replay tackles these challenges head-on by using video as the source of truth. By analyzing the video recording of a Figma prototype, Replay understands the user's intended interactions and the application's dynamic behavior. This approach, which we call "behavior-driven reconstruction," allows Replay to generate code that is not only visually accurate but also functionally complete.

Key Features of Replay#

Replay offers a comprehensive set of features designed to streamline the process of converting Figma prototypes into React applications:

• •Multi-Page Generation: Replay can analyze videos that showcase multiple pages and interactions, generating code for the entire application flow.
• •Supabase Integration: Seamlessly integrate your application with Supabase for backend functionality, including authentication, data storage, and real-time updates.
• •Style Injection: Replay intelligently infers and applies styles based on the visual design of the Figma prototype, ensuring a consistent and polished user interface.
• •Product Flow Maps: Visualize the user flow through your application, making it easier to understand and optimize the user experience.
• •Video Input: Analyzes video (not screenshots) to understand user behavior and intent.

Step-by-Step Guide: Converting a Figma Prototype Video to a React App#

Here's a practical guide on how to use Replay to convert a video of a Figma prototype into a working React web application:

Step 1: Record Your Figma Prototype#

Use any screen recording tool (e.g., Loom, QuickTime, or even a simple browser extension) to record a video of your Figma prototype. Make sure to showcase all the key interactions and user flows you want to capture in your React application.

📝 Note: The clarity and quality of the video recording can impact the accuracy of the code generation. Ensure that the video is well-lit and that the interactions are clearly visible.

Step 2: Upload the Video to Replay#

Navigate to the Replay platform (https://replay.build) and upload the video recording of your Figma prototype. Replay will automatically analyze the video and begin the process of reconstructing the UI and application logic.

Step 3: Configure Replay Settings#

Configure the Replay settings to match your project requirements. This includes specifying the desired output format (React), choosing a theme, and configuring any necessary integrations (e.g., Supabase).

Step 4: Review and Refine the Generated Code#

Once Replay has finished processing the video, you'll be presented with the generated React code. Review the code to ensure that it accurately reflects the intended user experience. You can make manual adjustments to the code as needed.

💡 Pro Tip: Pay close attention to the generated event handlers and data bindings. These are often the areas that require the most manual refinement.

Step 5: Integrate with Your Project#

Download the generated React code and integrate it into your existing project. You can use the code as a starting point for building out the rest of your application, or you can use it as a reference for implementing specific features.

Example: Generating a Simple Counter Component#

Let's say your Figma prototype includes a simple counter component with increment and decrement buttons. Here's how Replay might generate the React code for this component:

typescript
import React, { useState } from 'react';

const Counter = () => {
  const [count, setCount] = useState(0);

  const increment = () => {
    setCount(count + 1);
  };

  const decrement = () => {
    setCount(count - 1);
  };

  return (
    <div>
      <button onClick={decrement}>-</button>
      <span>{count}</span>
      <button onClick={increment}>+</button>
    </div>
  );
};

export default Counter;

This code accurately captures the functionality of the counter component, including the state management and event handling.

Supabase Integration Example#

If your Figma prototype interacts with a Supabase database, Replay can automatically generate the necessary code for data fetching and manipulation. For example, if your prototype displays a list of users from a Supabase table, Replay might generate code similar to this:

typescript
import React, { useState, useEffect } from 'react';
import { createClient } from '@supabase/supabase-js';

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

const UsersList = () => {
  const [users, setUsers] = useState([]);

  useEffect(() => {
    const fetchUsers = async () => {
      const { data, error } = await supabase
        .from('users')
        .select('*');

      if (error) {
        console.error('Error fetching users:', error);
      } else {
        setUsers(data);
      }
    };

    fetchUsers();
  }, []);

  return (
    <ul>
      {users.map(user => (
        <li key={user.id}>{user.name}</li>
      ))}
    </ul>
  );
};

export default UsersList;

This code demonstrates how Replay can automatically generate the necessary Supabase client and data fetching logic, saving you significant time and effort.

⚠️ Warning: Remember to replace

text

YOUR_SUPABASE_URL

and

text

YOUR_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY

with your actual Supabase credentials. Avoid committing these credentials directly to your code repository. Use environment variables instead.

Benefits of Using Replay#

• •Faster Development: Automate the process of converting Figma prototypes into React code, significantly reducing development time.
• •Improved Accuracy: Ensure that the generated code accurately reflects the intended user experience, minimizing the need for manual adjustments.
• •Enhanced Maintainability: Generate clean, well-structured code that is easy to maintain and extend.
• •Seamless Integration: Easily integrate the generated code into existing projects and workflows.
• •Focus on Logic: Spend less time on boilerplate code and more time on implementing the core functionality of your application.

Frequently Asked Questions#

Is Replay free to use?#

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

How is Replay different from v0.dev?#

While both Replay and v0.dev aim to accelerate UI development, they differ significantly in their approach. v0.dev primarily relies on AI to generate code from textual descriptions. Replay, on the other hand, uses video analysis to understand user behavior and generate code that accurately reflects the intended user experience. This behavior-driven approach allows Replay to capture the nuances of user interaction and application logic that are often missed by text-based code generation tools. Replay also offers features like Supabase integration and multi-page support out of the box.

What types of Figma prototypes can Replay convert?#

Replay can convert a wide range of Figma prototypes, from simple single-page designs to complex multi-page applications. The key requirement is that the prototype is recorded in a video that clearly demonstrates the intended user interactions and application logic.

What if the generated code isn't perfect?#

Replay is designed to generate high-quality code, but it's not always perfect. You can always manually adjust the generated code to refine it and ensure that it meets your specific requirements. The goal of Replay is to provide a solid foundation for your application, not to completely eliminate the need for manual coding.

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