Rendering large data tables in web applications can be challenging, but Helicone improved the performance of their requests page by implementing asynchronous loading with optimistic rendering, significantly reducing initial render times from 1.5 seconds to 0.25 seconds. This strategy involves immediately displaying metadata while fetching message bodies in the background, enhancing responsiveness and user experience. Throughout the process, Helicone encountered and resolved challenges such as unintended state mutations in React hooks and data shape mismatches between different system components. These enhancements not only optimized the performance but also made the handling of substantial data more efficient and user-friendly.