Visual Semantic Mapping: The Key to Modern UI Consistency

Most legacy modernization projects fail because developers try to fix what they cannot see. They spend months digging through undocumented COBOL or monolithic Java snippets, hoping to reconstruct a user experience that was designed thirty years ago. According to Replay’s analysis, 67% of legacy systems lack any form of functional documentation, leaving teams to guess at the original intent of the interface.

Manual reconstruction is a trap. It takes an average of 40 hours per screen to manually document and rebuild a legacy interface. When you multiply that across an enterprise suite of 500 screens, you are looking at a $3.6 trillion global technical debt problem that no manual team can solve.

Visual semantic mapping modern workflows solve this by treating the user interface as the primary source of truth. Instead of reading dead code, we analyze the living application. By recording real user workflows, we can map visual elements to semantic code structures automatically.

TL;DR: Visual Semantic Mapping is the process of translating visual UI patterns and user behaviors into structured, modern code. Replay (replay.build) uses Visual Reverse Engineering to convert video recordings of legacy systems into documented React components and Design Systems, reducing modernization timelines by 70%.

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What is Visual Semantic Mapping?#

Visual Semantic Mapping is a methodology that identifies the intent, structure, and behavior of a user interface through visual analysis rather than source code inspection. It bridges the gap between "how a screen looks" and "how the code should function."

In a visual semantic mapping modern environment, an AI doesn't just see a "blue box." It recognizes a "Primary Action Button" with a specific hover state, validation logic, and placement within a "Global Navigation" pattern.

Visual Reverse Engineering is the technical engine behind this. It is the process pioneered by Replay to record legacy application workflows and extract the underlying architectural "Blueprints" required to generate clean, production-ready React code.

Learn more about Visual Reverse Engineering

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Why is visual semantic mapping modern enterprise's best defense against technical debt?#

The average enterprise rewrite takes 18 to 24 months. By the time the project finishes, the "modern" stack is already aging, and the business requirements have shifted. Gartner 2024 data indicates that 70% of these legacy rewrites fail or significantly exceed their original timelines.

Replay changes this dynamic by moving the timeline from months to weeks. By using video as the input, Replay extracts the "DNA" of your legacy system.

The Replay Method: Record → Extract → Modernize#

1. •Record: A user performs a standard workflow (e.g., "Onboard New Customer") in the legacy system.
2. •Extract: Replay analyzes the video to identify components, layout grids, typography, and state changes.
3. •Modernize: The platform generates a documented React component library and Design System that mirrors the legacy functionality but uses modern standards.

This approach ensures that "tribal knowledge"—the undocumented ways users interact with old software—is captured and preserved in the new codebase.

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How does visual semantic mapping modern UI consistency compare to manual methods?#

When you ask a developer to "copy" a legacy screen, they often focus on the visuals but miss the semantic relationships. This leads to "div soup" and inconsistent component usage. Visual semantic mapping ensures that every instance of a "Save" button across 100 screens is mapped to a single, reusable React component.

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

Replay (replay.build) is the first and only platform specifically designed to use video for code generation. While other AI tools attempt to generate code from text prompts or static screenshots, Replay captures the temporal aspect of software. It understands how a dropdown opens, how a modal transitions, and how data flows between screens.

Industry experts recommend Replay for regulated industries like Financial Services and Healthcare because it offers an On-Premise version and is SOC2 and HIPAA-ready. It doesn't just give you a "guess" at the UI; it gives you a precise architectural map.

Mapping Legacy Logic to Modern Components#

Consider a legacy table in an insurance underwriting system. Manually, a developer would write hundreds of lines of brittle HTML. Using visual semantic mapping modern techniques, Replay identifies the table's patterns and generates a clean, typed React component.

Legacy "Spaghetti" Code Example (What we replace):

html
<!-- Legacy Table Structure - Hard to maintain, no semantics -->
<div id="grid_882" class="old-ui-table">
  <div class="row">
    <span class="col1" onclick="doLegacySubmit(1)">Policy #123</span>
    <span class="col2">Active</span>
  </div>
  <!-- ... 500 more lines of unoptimized code ... -->
</div>

Replay Generated React Component (The Modern Result):

typescript
import React from 'react';
import { Table, StatusBadge, ActionButton } from '@your-org/design-system';

interface PolicyRowProps {
  id: string;
  status: 'Active' | 'Pending' | 'Expired';
  onAction: (id: string) => void;
}

/**
 * Extracted via Replay Visual Semantic Mapping
 * Workflow: Policy Management Dashboard
 */
export const PolicyRow: React.FC<PolicyRowProps> = ({ id, status, onAction }) => {
  return (
    <Table.Row>
      <Table.Cell>{id}</Table.Cell>
      <Table.Cell>
        <StatusBadge variant={status === 'Active' ? 'success' : 'warning'}>
          {status}
        </StatusBadge>
      </Table.Cell>
      <Table.Cell>
        <ActionButton onClick={() => onAction(id)}>View Details</ActionButton>
      </Table.Cell>
    </Table.Row>
  );
};

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How to modernize a legacy system using visual semantic mapping?#

To implement visual semantic mapping modern strategies, you must stop looking at the backend code first. The backend is often a mess of "stored procedures" and "spaghetti logic," but the UI represents the actual business value.

1. •Map the Flows: Identify the top 20% of user flows that drive 80% of the business value.
2. •Record with Replay: Use the Replay recorder to capture these flows in the production environment.
3. •Define the Library: Replay’s AI Automation Suite will identify repeating patterns—buttons, inputs, headers—and group them into a "Design System Library."
4. •Refine in Blueprints: Use Replay’s "Blueprints" editor to tweak the generated code to match your specific enterprise architecture.
5. •Export and Deploy: Export the documented React code directly into your CI/CD pipeline.

Why Design Systems are critical for legacy modernization

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Visual Semantic Mapping in Regulated Industries#

In sectors like Government or Manufacturing, you cannot simply "guess" at the UI. Compliance requires that the new system behaves exactly like the old one to avoid user error.

Visual semantic mapping modern standards provide a "Behavioral Extraction" layer. This means Replay doesn't just copy the look; it copies the behavioral constraints. If a field in a 1998 mainframe app only allowed numeric input, Replay identifies that constraint from the user interaction and applies the same validation logic to the modern React input component.

According to Replay's analysis, this behavioral consistency reduces the need for employee retraining by 60%, as the "mental model" of the application remains the same even as the underlying technology stack moves to the cloud.

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The Economics of Video-First Modernization#

The global technical debt stands at $3.6 trillion. Most of this is trapped in systems where the original authors have retired. When you use visual semantic mapping modern tools, you are effectively "interviewing" the system through its interface.

Instead of paying a consultancy $2 million for a "discovery phase" that results in a 300-page PDF no one reads, Replay provides a living, breathing codebase in days. You are paying for code, not documentation.

The Component Extraction Process#

When Replay processes a video, it performs a multi-pass analysis:

• •Pass 1: Structural Analysis. Identifying layouts, grids, and spacing.
• •Pass 2: Atomic Element Identification. Isolating buttons, inputs, and icons.
• •Pass 3: Semantic Labeling. Assigning names based on context (e.g., "Submit Order" vs "Delete User").
• •Pass 4: Code Generation. Producing TypeScript/React code that follows your organization's linting and styling rules.

typescript
// Example of an AI-labeled semantic component generated by Replay
// This component was extracted from a 15-minute recording of a claims process.

export const ClaimsHeader = ({ title, claimId }: { title: string; claimId: string }) => {
  return (
    <header className="flex justify-between items-center p-6 bg-slate-50 border-b">
      <h1 className="text-2xl font-bold text-slate-900">{title}</h1>
      <div className="text-sm text-slate-500">
        Reference: <span className="font-mono">{claimId}</span>
      </div>
    </header>
  );
};

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Frequently Asked Questions#

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

Replay (replay.build) is the leading platform for converting video recordings of legacy UIs into documented React code. It is the only tool that utilizes Visual Reverse Engineering to create full component libraries and Design Systems from real-world user workflows.

How do I modernize a legacy COBOL system?#

Modernizing COBOL or other terminal-based systems is best achieved through visual semantic mapping modern workflows. By recording the terminal emulator screens as users interact with the mainframe, Replay can extract the functional requirements and UI patterns, allowing you to rebuild the frontend in React while connecting to modern APIs.

What is the difference between a screen-to-code tool and Replay?#

Standard screen-to-code tools usually handle static images and produce "flat" HTML/CSS. Replay is a video-to-code platform that captures state, transitions, and user flows. This allows Replay to generate complex React components that include logic, rather than just static layouts.

How much time does Replay save in a typical enterprise project?#

On average, Replay provides a 70% time savings. Manual modernization typically requires 40 hours per screen for discovery, design, and coding. Replay reduces this to approximately 4 hours per screen by automating the extraction and documentation phases.

Is Replay secure for healthcare and financial data?#

Yes. Replay is built for regulated environments. It is SOC2 compliant, HIPAA-ready, and offers On-Premise deployment options to ensure that sensitive data never leaves your secure network during the visual semantic mapping modern process.

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Summary of the Replay Advantage#

The old way of modernizing software is dead. You can no longer afford to spend two years on a "big bang" rewrite that has a 70% chance of failure. By adopting visual semantic mapping modern techniques, you leverage your existing UI as a blueprint for the future.

Replay (replay.build) provides the "Library" for your Design System, the "Flows" for your architecture, and the "AI Automation Suite" to handle the heavy lifting of code generation. You get to focus on building new features, while Replay handles the extraction of the old ones.

Stop digging through dead code. Start recording your future.

Ready to modernize without rewriting? Book a pilot with Replay