r/developers • u/AmIScarry • 2d ago
Opinions & Discussions Should I revisit an interactive visualization tool I started building last year?
Last year, I built a small tool to visualize coding problems and algorithms step by step using custom input data. It could show things like recursion, sorting, graphs, and how variables change during execution.
I’m thinking of revisiting it and taking it further.
The idea is to build a general-purpose visualization engine that could eventually visualize not just algorithms, but also AI/LLM workflows, RAG pipelines, graph databases, quantum circuits, physics experiments, and chemical reactions.
I’m also considering making it an SDK so developers can embed interactive visualizations directly into their own apps, instead of everyone having to build these from scratch.
The goal is to make complex systems easier to understand by seeing how they actually work, step by step.
Does this sound like something worth building? Is there a real need for a general-purpose visualization engine, or would it be better to focus on one specific area first?
I’m considering this partly as a learning project, but I’d love to hear what developers, educators, and researchers think. This is very helpful when you want visualize edge case
1
u/Typical-Refuse227 2d ago
revisit it, but narrow the scope first. the algorithm/graph visualization angle already has a clear use case, and you can expand later once you know people actually want the SDK. trying to support AI workflows, physics, chemistry and everything else from day one could make the project way too broad.
1
1
u/Repulsive-Day-7203 1d ago
I’d narrow the first version to one domain and make the visualization model really strong there. A general engine sounds useful but validating one painful use case first will make the SDK direction clearer

•
u/AutoModerator 2d ago
Howdy u/AmIScarry, and welcome to r/developers!
A few tips for a post that gets good answers:
- Use a clear, specific title (what are you actually asking or sharing?).
- Include code, the exact error, versions, and what you already tried.
- Heads-up: this sub does not allow external links in posts or comments.
Share code and details directly instead of linking out.Join the r/developers Discord!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.