Current Behavior

Running Lighthouse and DevTools performance audits on the current MusicBlocks build shows several optimization and accessibility issues:

1]High main-thread blocking time due to heavy JavaScript execution.
2]Significant amounts of unused JavaScript loaded on initial page render.
3]Presence of unused CSS rules, increasing style calculation overhead.

Multiple interactive elements (e.g., tags or buttons) with no discernible name, causing accessibility problems for screen readers.

These issues collectively slow down load time, reduce UI responsiveness, and affect accessibility compliance.

Desired Behavior

1] JavaScript and CSS bundles should be optimized so that only necessary resources are loaded initially.

2] Main-thread work should be reduced to improve responsiveness.

3] All interactive elements should have clear, accessible names or ARIA attributes.

4] Overall performance and accessibility scores should improve based on Lighthouse testing.

Screenshots / Mockups

Implementation

Possible approaches:

Reduce main-thread work --

1]Defer non-critical scripts.

2] Move heavy computations to Web Workers where possible.

3] Split large scripts using code-splitting.

Remove unused JavaScript --

1] Analyze dead code paths.

2] Use bundler tree-shaking to remove unused functions/modules.

Remove unused CSS --

1] Use tools like PurgeCSS or manually refactor unused selectors.

2] Organize CSS for better maintainability and performance.

Fix inaccessible links/elements

1 ] Add descriptive text or aria-label to unnamed tags, buttons, and interactive UI components.

2 ] Ensure all interactive elements are detectable by assistive technologies.

Acceptance Tests

1] Lighthouse Performance score improves (especially main-thread time).

2] Unused JavaScript and CSS size decreases measurably.

3 ] All interactive elements have discernible names (verified via Lighthouse Accessibility audit).

4 ] No console warnings related to missing labels or ARIA attributes.

5 ] Application loads faster and feels more responsive on low-end devices.

Environment

Operating System: Windows / Linux

Browser: Chrome (Lighthouse 12.x)

Version: Current MusicBlocks build on SoCal server + local deployment

Additional Information

These improvements will enhance:

Page load performance

Responsiveness on low-end devices (important for education scenarios)

Accessibility for screen reader users

Code clarity and maintainability

Happy to contribute or collaborate on implementing these enhancements.

Checklist

• [ ✔️] I have read and followed the project's code of conduct.
• [ ✔️] I have searched for similar issues before creating this one.
• [✔️ ] I have provided all the necessary information to understand and reproduce the issue.
• [✔️ ] I am willing to contribute to the resolution of this issue.

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