Exploring Latency Reduction in WebAssembly-Based Visualization Tools

As developers working on interactive web applications, we’re often faced with the challenge of minimizing latency to ensure a smooth user experience. Recently, I’ve been delving into this issue while working on a project hosted on GitHub: https://github.com/bgkillas/kalc-plot.

Over the past few months, I’ve developed a WebAssembly (WASM) test environment to explore performance optimization, particularly focusing on integrating dependencies that currently lack native WASM support. Currently, my project leverages features available on kalc.rs, which hosts specific functions that users can modify in real-time as dependencies become compatible—though the functionality is already operational through automation workflows.

During testing, I noticed that when switching graph modes—specifically toggling to a 2D plane with double ‘b’ key presses—the experience reveals some noticeable latency during viewport dragging. This lag may be attributable to factors like browser performance on Linux, VSync handling, or other rendering bottlenecks.

This leads me to a broader question: Is such latency an unavoidable aspect of web-based graphic interactions, or are there strategies I can implement to mitigate it? I’m particularly interested in understanding whether it’s possible to achieve more responsive interactions in WASM-powered visualization tools.

If you have insights into reducing rendering latency or have faced similar challenges, I’d love to hear your thoughts and recommendations.