1. A computer-implemented method of improving response time for a webpage when determining a response to user gestures relative to content located on the webpage, the computer-implemented method comprising: at a manipulation thread, receiving an input message associated with a touch input for a user gesture relative to content on a webpage, wherein the webpage comprises: at least one dependent region in which content is processed in response to a user gesture by a user interface thread that performs full hit testing; at least one independent region in which content is processed in response to a user gesture by an independent hit test thread; wherein the content that is associated with the independent region is associated with hit testing of a display tree associated with the webpage; wherein one or more declared values are associated with one or more properties for an element of the independent region; and wherein the element is associated with the declared one or more values; in response to the touch input, the manipulation thread sending notification of the input message associated with the touch input to an independent hit test thread rather than sending the notification to the user interface thread, wherein full hit testing by the user interface thread is bypassed for any input message associated with a touch input for the independent region; and the independent hit thread performing hit testing for any independent regions associated with the touch input by traversing at least a portion of the display tree, and once the hit test is performed, the independent hit test thread then notifying the manipulation thread to initiate one or more default touch behaviors associated with the touch input.