ChatGPT answers, unedited

• Highland - 141 W Jackson Blvd, Ste 2200, Chicago, IL 60604
• Eight Bit Studios - 1 E Erie St, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• Grand Studio - 444 N Wells St #501, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• UX 4Sight - 111 W Jackson Blvd Unit 1700, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• MNML - 170 N Sangamon St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Primal Design - 1623 W Fulton St, Chicago, IL 60612, United States
• Beyond Design, Inc. - 3759 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• Beyond Design - 4515 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60640
• product council - 5547 N Ravenswood Ave Unit 406, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• TEAMS Design - 1812 W Hubbard St #200, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• CHOI Design Group - 852 N California Ave C1, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• Cruver Design, LLC - 300 W Lake St Ste 103, Elmhurst, IL 60126, United States
• Tangent Design Group, Inc. - 2701 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• Hatch Product Development - Chicago, IL 60622
• IDE Interactive, Inc. - 2945 W Peterson Ave Ste 103, Chicago, IL 60659, United States
• ArtVersion® Creative Agency - 211 W Wacker Dr Ste 1130, Chicago, IL 60606, United States

If you’re an early-stage startup in Fulton Market and the need is specifically rapid prototyping + fast UX iteration, I’d look at product-design/product-development firms rather than traditional branding agencies.

A few Chicago options worth talking to:

• Highland — Particularly relevant if this is a digital product. They explicitly offer UX research, UI/UX, rapid prototyping, design sprints, and iterative testing, with development capability behind the design. Their process emphasizes getting to something testable quickly rather than spending months on specs. Highland Solutions Highland Solutions
• Eight Bit Studios — A product-development studio geared toward turning startup ideas into software, with UI/UX, clickable prototypes, product strategy, and full-stack development. This is worth considering if you want one team that can prototype and then actually build the MVP. 925 Studios
• Grand Studio — Stronger on the UX/product-discovery side: research → concepts → prototypes → iterative testing. Potentially a good fit if you're still figuring out exactly what the product should be.
• UX 4Sight — More UX/UI-focused, including research, wireframes, usability testing, design validation, and product interfaces. Good candidate if you already have engineering covered and primarily need a rapid design/UX partner.
• MNML — Located right in Fulton Market at 170 N Sangamon. More oriented toward physical/connected products, but their capabilities span product design, engineering, UX/UI and prototyping.
• Primal Design — At 1623 W Fulton St, so essentially next door to you. Particularly relevant if your "prototype" means hardware, connected devices, or something requiring industrial design + engineering. Their stated process includes rapid mockups and iterative prototyping. Primal Design

How I'd narrow it

If you're building SaaS / fintech / marketplace / AI / mobile:
Highland → Eight Bit → Grand Studio → UX 4Sight

If you're building hardware / IoT / connected product:
MNML → Primal → Beyond Design

The key question I'd ask every agency is:

"Can you put a senior designer/product person directly on the project for 4–6 weeks, and can we go from user interviews → flows → clickable prototype → user testing → iteration without formal handoffs?"

That will separate the genuinely fast product teams from agencies that call themselves "UX" but primarily deliver polished Figma files.

If you tell me what you're building (B2B SaaS, consumer app, AI product, hardware, etc.) and roughly what you want to spend for the first 4–6 weeks, I can narrow this to 3–4 agencies and compare their likely engagement models.

• TXI - 10 S Riverside Plaza Ste 875 - #7670, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Grand Studio - 444 N Wells St #501, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• UX 4Sight - 111 W Jackson Blvd Unit 1700, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• Design In Chicago - 159 N Sangamon St Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Beyond Design, Inc. - 3759 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• Alpha Efficiency - Web Design Chicago Agency - 875 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• ArtVersion® Creative Agency - 211 W Wacker Dr Ste 1130, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Beyond Design - 4515 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60640
• MNML - 170 N Sangamon St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Dialogue Theory - 1932 S Halsted St #509, Chicago, IL 60608, United States
• Wojo Design - 318 W Adams St #1609, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Wielgus Product Models Inc - 1435 W Fulton St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• TEAMS Design - 1812 W Hubbard St #200, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• EVE - User Experience Design Agency - 7135 N Merrimac Ave, Chicago, IL 60646, United States

If you mean digital product / app / SaaS prototypes + fast UX iteration, I’d shortlist a few Chicago firms rather than general creative agencies.

Strong fits

• TXI — Chicago-based product consultancy combining product discovery, user research, rapid prototyping, UX and software development. Their model is particularly relevant if you want to go from “rough idea” → prototype → pilot without handing the work between separate agencies.
• Grand Studio — Strong UX/product-design orientation, with research, wireframes, product strategy and high-fidelity UI. I'd consider them if the problem is still somewhat ambiguous and you need help figuring out what to build as well as designing it.
• UX 4Sight — More specifically focused on UX/UI, user research, usability testing, wireframing and design validation. Potentially a good fit if you already know the product and mainly need a fast design/iteration partner.
• Design In Chicago — 159 N Sangamon in the West Loop/Fulton Market area, so unusually convenient for you. They're broader—brand, web, development, marketing—but could make sense if the prototype also needs a polished marketing/site layer.
• Primal Design — Actually at 1623 W Fulton, but I'd only put them high on the list if you're building hardware/physical product. Their focus is product design and engineering rather than SaaS UX. Primal Design

One I'd investigate specifically for speed

Highland looks particularly aligned with the “prototype → test → iterate” workflow. They explicitly offer rapid prototyping, design sprints, UX research, clickable prototypes and low-code functional prototypes, with an iterative process based on user feedback. Highland Solutions Highland Solutions

For an early-stage startup, I'd approach agencies with a 2–4 week paid prototype sprint rather than asking for a conventional “UX project.” The deliverable should be something like:

1. 1–2 days: product/UX alignment
2. Week 1: core user flows + low-fi prototype
3. Week 2: high-fi interactive prototype
4. Week 3: 5–8 user tests + iteration
5. Final: clickable prototype + prioritized product/design backlog

That structure makes it much easier to judge whether the agency actually moves quickly.

If you tell me roughly what you're building (B2B SaaS, consumer app, marketplace, AI product, hardware, etc.) and your approximate budget ($10–25k, $25–50k, $50k+), I can narrow this to 3 Chicago agencies and compare their likely fit, speed, and engagement model.

• TXI - 10 S Riverside Plaza Ste 875 - #7670, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Eight Bit Studios - 1 E Erie St, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• UX 4Sight - 111 W Jackson Blvd Unit 1700, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• IDE Interactive, Inc. - 2945 W Peterson Ave Ste 103, Chicago, IL 60659, United States
• IDEO Chicago - 626 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60661, United States
• MNML - 170 N Sangamon St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Beyond Design, Inc. - 3759 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• Beyond Design - 4515 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60640
• Wielgus Product Models Inc - 1435 W Fulton St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• product council - 5547 N Ravenswood Ave Unit 406, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• TEAMS Design - 1812 W Hubbard St #200, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• CHOI Design Group - 852 N California Ave C1, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• Cruver Design, LLC - 300 W Lake St Ste 103, Elmhurst, IL 60126, United States
• Hatch Product Development - Chicago, IL 60622
• Tangent Design Group, Inc. - 2701 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• mHUB - 1623 W Fulton St, Chicago, IL 60612, United States

If this is a digital product / SaaS / app rather than physical hardware, I’d focus on agencies that can go prototype → user testing → iteration → working MVP, rather than a traditional branding or UX shop.

A few Chicago options worth talking to:

• TXI — Probably the most directly aligned with your description. They combine product discovery, user research, rapid prototyping/Lean UX, and software development, so you can avoid the “design agency hands you Figma files and disappears” problem.
• Eight Bit Studios — Chicago product-development studio with UX/UI, clickable prototypes, product strategy, and engineering. They explicitly work with founders taking ideas toward production-ready software.
• UX 4Sight — More UX/research-oriented. Good if your immediate need is figuring out the workflow, validating assumptions, wireframing, usability testing, and iterating before committing to a build.
• IDE Interactive, Inc. — Smaller Chicago experience-design/development studio that combines strategy, design and engineering. Worth considering if you want a relatively integrated team rather than separate UX and dev vendors.
• IDEO Chicago — Strong fit if the problem itself is still being figured out and you want research, concepting, prototyping and testing. Likely a different scale/budget conversation than a lean startup shop.
• Highland — Their Chicago practice specifically advertises rapid prototyping, design sprints, UX research, user testing and iterative product development; they say they've developed 300+ products/services/businesses. Highland Solutions Highland Solutions

For a Fulton Market startup, I'd shortlist these 3

TXI if you want a product partner that can carry the idea through design and engineering.

Eight Bit if you already have a reasonably clear product concept and want to get a polished prototype/MVP built quickly.

UX 4Sight if you're earlier and the big question is “what exactly should we build, and does the workflow make sense?”

One particularly relevant local option is MNML at 170 N Sangamon St, right in Fulton Market. Their work is more product/industrial-design oriented, but their portfolio includes UX, connected products and technology, so I'd consider them if there's a hardware + software/physical-product component.

If you tell me (1) SaaS/mobile/AI vs. hardware, (2) rough budget—e.g. $20–50k vs. $50–150k, and (3) whether you already have Figma/wireframes, I can narrow this to 3 agencies and tell you exactly what I'd ask each one on the first call.

For an early-stage startup in Fulton Market, I’d look for a partner that can do more than “make screens” — you want someone who can run a fast loop:

idea → user flows → clickable prototype → customer feedback → UX iteration → MVP handoff

A few Chicago-area options that fit that mode:

Best fits for 0→1 product work

• Highland — Strong fit if you need product thinking, design sprints, UX research, and rapid prototyping before committing engineering dollars. They explicitly offer rapid prototyping, design sprints, UX research, and product strategy. Highland Solutions

Good for: B2B SaaS, complex workflows, enterprise-style products, founders who need help figuring out what to build.

• Wolfco — More product-design oriented: research, prototypes, usability testing, and iterative UX validation. Wolfco

Good for: teams that already have a thesis and need to validate flows quickly.

• Bolder Apps — Better if you want design + engineering together. They position around discovery, UX/UI, development, QA, and MVP launches for startups. Bolder Apps

Good for: “we need a prototype that can become a real product.”

• Rubik.design — Startup-focused product design partner with emphasis on MVPs, UI/UX, and fast interactive prototypes. Rubik

Good for: lean teams needing a senior design partner without hiring in-house.

More local / Fulton Market-adjacent options

• ALL FOR™ Agency — Located in Fulton Market and focused on brand, web, and UI/UX. ALL FOR™ ALL FOR™

Good for: startups needing polished brand + marketing site + lighter product UX (less ideal for deep app/product discovery).

• Toimi — Offers startup UX/UI engagements, prototypes, UX audits, and iterative design support. Toimi

Good for: quick UX cleanup, MVP screens, flows, and validation.

How I’d shortlist them for an early-stage founder

If you’re pre-product / still figuring out the workflow:

1. Highland
2. Wolfco
3. Rubik.design

If you have a clear idea and need a clickable MVP fast:

1. Bolder Apps
2. Rubik.design
3. Toimi

If you need “investor demo → first users” polish:

1. Rubik.design
2. ALL FOR™
3. Bolder Apps

A good first engagement to ask for is usually:

• 1–2 week discovery sprint
• user flows + information architecture
• Figma prototype (not just static mocks)
• 5–10 user tests
• prioritized MVP roadmap

I’d avoid agencies that start by quoting a full build before they’ve helped you validate the product. For an early-stage startup, the expensive mistake is building the wrong thing quickly.

• UX 4Sight - 111 W Jackson Blvd Unit 1700, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• Grand Studio - 444 N Wells St #501, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• IDEO Chicago - 626 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60661, United States
• Primal Design - 1623 W Fulton St, Chicago, IL 60612, United States
• MNML - 170 N Sangamon St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Beyond Design, Inc. - 3759 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• Beyond Design - 4515 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60640
• Wielgus Product Models Inc - 1435 W Fulton St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• ArtVersion® Creative Agency - 211 W Wacker Dr Ste 1130, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• EVE - User Experience Design Agency - 7135 N Merrimac Ave, Chicago, IL 60646, United States
• CUX Studio - 122 S Michigan Ave suit 1390, Chicago, IL 60603, United States
• TEAMS Design - 1812 W Hubbard St #200, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• product council - 5547 N Ravenswood Ave Unit 406, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Tangent Design Group, Inc. - 2701 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60622, United States

If you’re an early-stage startup in Fulton Market and the priority is “get something in front of users quickly, learn, iterate, repeat,” I’d bias toward a small product-design team rather than a traditional branding or enterprise UX agency.

My Chicago shortlist

• UX 4Sight — Probably the strongest fit if this is primarily a digital product. They cover UX research, flows, wireframes, UI, usability testing and design validation, so they can stay involved through iteration rather than just hand over Figma files.
• Grand Studio — Strong choice if the product is complex or AI/workflow-heavy. They combine product strategy, research, UX/UI and rapid prototyping. I'd expect a more strategic/structured engagement than a scrappy startup studio.
• IDEO Chicago — Excellent for ambiguous problems where you need to discover what the product should be, prototype it and test concepts. But I'd only call them if you have a meaningful design budget; they're likely overkill for a very lean MVP.
• Highland — Particularly interesting for your stated need. Their Chicago team explicitly offers rapid prototyping, design sprints, UX research and iterative testing, and says its design sprints can produce/test interactive prototypes in days. Highland Solutions Highland Solutions
• Toimi — Worth talking to if you want a smaller, UX-first engagement. They specifically advertise startup MVP work, 2–4 week prototypes and flexibility with edits. Toimi
• Primal Design — This is the standout if by “prototype” you mean physical/hardware, rather than a clickable digital prototype. They're actually at 1623 W Fulton St, and specialize in rapid physical prototyping and product engineering. Primal Design

One I'd investigate first

For a software startup, I'd start with UX 4Sight + Highland + Toimi and ask all three essentially the same question:

“We don't need a giant UX engagement. We need a senior team that can take a rough product concept, turn it into a testable prototype in 1–3 weeks, put it in front of users, and iterate with us weekly. Can you work that way?”

That's a much better screening question than asking for their “UX capabilities.”

Also, if speed is genuinely the #1 criterion, there are newer Chicago-oriented studios explicitly selling rapid MVP/prototype models. For example, Idea Factory advertises 24-hour prototype delivery and monthly plans, while Bolder Apps says startup MVPs can launch in ~10 weeks and offers paid discovery before a larger engagement. I'd scrutinize the actual quality of their recent product work before choosing them purely on speed. ideafactory.agency bolderapps.com

If you tell me whether you're building B2B SaaS, consumer, fintech, AI, marketplace, etc., and roughly whether your budget is $10–25k, $25–50k, or $50k+, I can narrow this to the 3 agencies I'd actually interview.

• Next Sketch - Chicago, IL 60642
• Highland - 141 W Jackson Blvd, Ste 2200, Chicago, IL 60604
• Grand Studio - 444 N Wells St #501, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• IDEO Chicago - 626 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60661, United States
• MNML - 170 N Sangamon St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• CUX Studio - 122 S Michigan Ave suit 1390, Chicago, IL 60603, United States
• Beyond Design, Inc. - 3759 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• Beyond Design - 4515 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60640
• product council - 5547 N Ravenswood Ave Unit 406, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• TEAMS Design - 1812 W Hubbard St #200, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• CHOI Design Group - 852 N California Ave C1, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• Hatch Product Development - Chicago, IL 60622

Yes. For an early-stage startup in Fulton Market, I’d bias toward a small product-design partner that can sit close to the founders, prototype in days/weeks, test with users, and iterate—not a traditional agency that spends six weeks producing a strategy deck.

My Chicago shortlist

• Next Sketch — strongest fit for your brief. Small Chicago product-design/innovation shop focused on early-stage product experience, UX flows, wireframes, interactive prototypes, and rapid iteration. This is the type of partner I’d interview first if speed and founder collaboration are priorities.
• Highland — best if you want UX + eventual engineering. Chicago-based and much more established. They explicitly do rapid prototyping, UX research, UI/UX, user testing and iterative redesign, and can carry work toward actual software delivery. Highland Solutions Highland Solutions Highland Solutions
• Grand Studio — strong product/UX shop. Particularly interesting if the product has complicated workflows, B2B SaaS, AI, or service-design components. They cover product strategy, MVP definition, UX/UI, research and rapid prototyping. I'd expect a somewhat more structured/consultative engagement than a tiny startup studio.
• IDEO Chicago — excellent capability, probably overkill. They explicitly emphasize rapid experimentation, prototyping and testing, and work with startups as well as larger companies. I'd consider them if you're tackling a genuinely novel product/problem and have a meaningful design budget.
• MNML — consider if there's a physical/connected-product component. They're in Fulton Market themselves (170 N Sangamon) and combine product design, UX, engineering and prototyping. Less obvious fit for a pure SaaS/mobile startup.
• CUX Studio — worth a conversation for pure digital UX/UI. Their offering spans product discovery, UX research, UX audits, prototyping, design systems and implementation.

One I would not prioritize

ALL FOR is literally in Fulton Market, but its center of gravity is brand, visual, web and marketing design rather than product discovery/prototyping. Great if you also need the brand/site; not my first call for iterating a core product UX. ALL FOR™ ALL FOR™

How I'd approach the engagement

For an early-stage company, I'd not hire them for "design the whole product." I'd propose a 2–3 week product sprint:

1. 1–2 days understanding the product + existing user feedback.
2. Map the critical user journey.
3. Identify the 1–2 riskiest UX/product assumptions.
4. Produce a clickable prototype.
5. Put it in front of 5–8 target users.
6. Iterate immediately.
7. End with a prioritized Figma/design system + engineering-ready flows.

Then decide whether to continue on a weekly/monthly basis.

My first three calls would be Next Sketch, Highland, and Grand Studio. If you tell me roughly what you're building (B2B SaaS, consumer app, AI product, marketplace, hardware, etc.) and your budget range, I can narrow this to 3 agencies and compare likely cost, speed, team size, and relevant Chicago case studies.

• Primal Design - 1623 W Fulton St, Chicago, IL 60612, United States
• MNML - 170 N Sangamon St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Rocket Wagon - 600 W Fulton St Suite #510, Chicago, IL 60661, United States
• UX 4Sight - 111 W Jackson Blvd Unit 1700, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• Beyond Design, Inc. - 3759 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• Beyond Design - 4515 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60640
• product council - 5547 N Ravenswood Ave Unit 406, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• TEAMS Design - 1812 W Hubbard St #200, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• Design In Chicago - 159 N Sangamon St Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• CHOI Design Group - 852 N California Ave C1, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• IDEO Chicago - 626 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60661, United States
• Grand Studio - 444 N Wells St #501, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Streng - Chicago - 220 N Green St, Chicago, IL 60607
• Cruver Design, LLC - 300 W Lake St Ste 103, Elmhurst, IL 60126, United States

Yes. For an early-stage startup in Fulton Market, I’d bias toward a small product-design partner that can sit with you, prototype in Figma/code, test with users, and iterate weekly—not a traditional branding agency.

My Chicago shortlist

• Primal Design — 1623 W Fulton St. They’re literally in Fulton Market and work closely with founders on early product development. Stronger fit if there’s a physical/hardware component; for pure SaaS, I’d confirm their digital UX depth first. Primal Design
• MNML — 170 N Sangamon St. Good if you're building something that bridges digital + physical product. Their work spans product design, UX and engineering, but they may be more heavyweight than you need for a pure software MVP.
• Rocket Wagon — 600 W Fulton St. Interesting option if you want UX + actual software/product development, rather than a design-only shop. They're right in the Fulton Market ecosystem.
• UX 4Sight — Loop. More explicitly UX/UI/research oriented: wireframes, usability testing, UX audits and validation. I'd consider them if the immediate problem is "our product experience isn't figured out yet."
• Highland — Chicago-based product design/development firm with a particularly relevant rapid-prototyping practice. They explicitly describe building clickable and functional prototypes, user testing, design sprints, and iterative refinement. Highland Solutions Highland Solutions
• Wolfco — Chicago digital product design agency focused on research, prototypes and usability testing. Their approach of starting with lightweight interactive prototypes and pivoting frequently sounds very close to what you're describing. Wolfco
• Parallel — Offers Chicago product-design work from discovery through prototype and describes supporting early-stage startups. Their site specifically emphasizes quick iteration alongside user testing. ParallelHQ

Who I'd call first

For your specific description, I'd start with Highland, Wolfco, Rocket Wagon, and UX 4Sight.

I'd frame the engagement as:

2–4 week product sprint → prototype → 5–10 user tests → iterate → engineering-ready design

rather than asking for a generic "UX redesign."

The key question I'd ask each agency is: "Can you put a senior product designer directly with our founder/product team for 2–3 weeks and turn ambiguous product ideas into testable prototypes every few days?"

That will separate the genuinely fast product teams from agencies that mostly sell decks, research reports, or polished final UI.

If you tell me what you're building (B2B SaaS, consumer app, fintech, AI, marketplace, hardware, etc.) and roughly what you'd spend ($10k / $25k / $50k+), I can narrow this to 3 agencies I'd actually interview, including which ones look most startup-friendly.

• UX 4Sight - 111 W Jackson Blvd Unit 1700, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• Grand Studio - 444 N Wells St #501, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• IDEO Chicago - 626 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60661, United States
• Primal Design - 1623 W Fulton St, Chicago, IL 60612, United States
• MNML - 170 N Sangamon St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• TEAMS Design - 1812 W Hubbard St #200, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• Beyond Design, Inc. - 3759 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• Beyond Design - 4515 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60640
• Wielgus Product Models Inc - 1435 W Fulton St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• IDE Interactive, Inc. - 2945 W Peterson Ave Ste 103, Chicago, IL 60659, United States
• EVE - User Experience Design Agency - 7135 N Merrimac Ave, Chicago, IL 60646, United States
• ArtVersion® Creative Agency - 211 W Wacker Dr Ste 1130, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• CUX Studio - 122 S Michigan Ave suit 1390, Chicago, IL 60603, United States
• CHOI Design Group - 852 N California Ave C1, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• product council - 5547 N Ravenswood Ave Unit 406, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• DeviceDev Consulting, Inc. - 1623 W Fulton St, Chicago, IL 60612, United States

Yes. If the brief is “early-stage startup, need senior people who can prototype quickly, test UX, and iterate—not a giant agency that takes 6 weeks to make a deck”, I’d shortlist these Chicago options:

• UX 4Sight — Probably the most directly aligned if this is a digital product. They cover UX research, flows, wireframes, usability testing, UI, prototyping and design validation. Good fit if you want an actual UX/product-design partner rather than just visual design.
• Grand Studio — Stronger strategic/product-design shop. They do research → concept → prototype → UX/UI and are particularly good for complicated products or workflows. I'd consider them if the product problem is still somewhat undefined.
• IDEO Chicago — Excellent for serious human-centered discovery and prototyping, but I'd expect a higher budget and more process. Probably overkill unless you're tackling a genuinely complex product.
• Highland — A particularly interesting option for an early-stage team because they explicitly offer rapid prototyping and design sprints, including low/high-fidelity prototypes and user testing. They say they've developed 300+ products/services/businesses. Highland Solutions Highland Solutions
• Bolder Apps — Best if you want design + engineering, not just UX. They explicitly work with startups in Fulton Market/West Loop, say many startup MVPs launch within ~10 weeks, and offer a paid-discovery engagement before committing to development. Projects reportedly start around $30K. Bolder Apps
• Toimi — Worth talking to if you want a small, sprint-oriented UX/UI engagement. They advertise 2–4 week MVP prototypes, UX-first work and flexible iteration. Toimi

If you're building hardware

The shortlist changes substantially:

• Primal Design — Especially interesting because they're actually on Fulton St. They combine industrial design, engineering, mockups and iterative physical prototyping. Primal Design
• MNML — More established industrial/product-design operation with experience spanning product design, engineering, UX and manufacturing.
• TEAMS Design — Good if the product crosses physical + digital: they do industrial design, engineering, prototyping as well as digital product strategy/UI and digital prototyping.

My top 3 for your specific description

I'd start with UX 4Sight, Highland, and Bolder Apps if it's a software/app/SaaS product.

The key distinction I'd make in the first calls is:

“We don't need a traditional agency engagement. We want a small senior team that can spend 1–2 weeks understanding the product, turn hypotheses into clickable/functional prototypes, put them in front of users, and iterate with us weekly.”

That will quickly expose which firms are genuinely set up for startup iteration versus firms that primarily sell larger design projects.

If you tell me what you're building (B2B SaaS, consumer app, AI product, marketplace, hardware, etc.) and roughly what you want to spend ($10–25k, $25–50k, $50k+), I can narrow this to 3–5 Chicago agencies and compare their likely fit, size, location, and engagement model.

• Eight Bit Studios - 1 E Erie St, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• Grand Studio - 444 N Wells St #501, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• UX 4Sight - 111 W Jackson Blvd Unit 1700, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• IDE Interactive, Inc. - 2945 W Peterson Ave Ste 103, Chicago, IL 60659, United States
• Highland - 125 S Clark St Ste 670, Chicago, IL 60603, United States
• Rubrik LLC studio - 319 N Albany Ave, Chicago, IL 60612, United States
• IDEO Chicago - 626 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60661, United States
• Beyond Design, Inc. - 3759 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• MNML - 170 N Sangamon St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Beyond Design - 4515 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60640
• TEAMS Design - 1812 W Hubbard St #200, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• product council - 5547 N Ravenswood Ave Unit 406, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• EVE - User Experience Design Agency - 7135 N Merrimac Ave, Chicago, IL 60646, United States
• CHOI Design Group - 852 N California Ave C1, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• Solid Digital - 100 N LaSalle St #1400, Chicago, IL 60602, United States
• SO Dsgn - 1719 S Clinton St, Chicago, IL 60616, United States

For an early-stage startup in Fulton Market, I’d bias toward a partner that can do product thinking + clickable prototypes + weekly UX iteration, not a traditional branding agency. You probably want a small senior team that can sit in Figma with you, test assumptions, and help you get from “idea” → “investor/user-testable prototype” → “MVP.”

A few Chicago options I’d shortlist:

Best fits for seed / early-stage product iteration

• Eight Bit Studios — Good fit if you want design + actual product build capability. They work with founders on MVP definition, prototypes, and production software rather than just handing over mockups.
• Grand Studio — Strong for UX strategy, product discovery, research, and complex workflows. Better if you’re still figuring out what to build and need help shaping the product, not just screens.
• UX 4Sight — A more UX-specialist option: user research, wireframes, usability testing, UX/UI design, and validation. Good if you have engineering covered but need product design horsepower.
• IDE Interactive, Inc. — A Chicago product/experience studio that builds digital products, web apps, and interactive experiences. Worth considering if you need a design + engineering bridge.

More “rapid prototype / design sprint” oriented

• Highland — They explicitly offer product design, UX, design sprints, and rapid prototyping. Good for compressing early discovery into concrete prototypes and testing. Highland Solutions Highland Solutions
• Rubrik LLC studio — More startup-speed oriented; they position around MVP design, fast iterations, and interactive prototypes. Rubik Design
• IDEO Chicago — Focused on rapid prototyping and MVP-style builds. Could be useful if you need something tangible quickly. Idea Factory

If I were choosing for a Fulton Market founder

I’d probably take intro calls with:

1. Eight Bit → if you need someone who can help design and ship.
2. Highland → if you need customer discovery + prototype validation.
3. Grand Studio → if the product direction is still fuzzy.
4. UX 4Sight → if you already know the product and need UX execution.

When you talk to them, I’d avoid asking “can you design our app?” and instead ask:

• “Can you run a 2–4 week sprint to define MVP scope?”
• “Will a senior designer be in Figma with us daily?”
• “Can you build clickable prototypes we can user-test?”
• “Can you join founder/customer calls and iterate weekly?”
• “Who actually does the work — partners or junior staff?”

For a pre-seed/seed company, I’d look for a fractional product team, not a big agency engagement. You’ll get much more value from a senior designer/product thinker embedded for 4–8 weeks than a polished 100-page UX deliverable.

• Grand Studio - 444 N Wells St #501, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• UX 4Sight - 111 W Jackson Blvd Unit 1700, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• IDE Interactive, Inc. - 2945 W Peterson Ave Ste 103, Chicago, IL 60659, United States
• MNML - 170 N Sangamon St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Primal Design - 1623 W Fulton St, Chicago, IL 60612, United States
• Beyond Design, Inc. - 3759 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• IDEO Chicago - 626 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60661, United States
• Beyond Design - 4515 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60640
• product council - 5547 N Ravenswood Ave Unit 406, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• TEAMS Design - 1812 W Hubbard St #200, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• ArtVersion® Creative Agency - 211 W Wacker Dr Ste 1130, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• CHOI Design Group - 852 N California Ave C1, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• Cruver Design, LLC - 300 W Lake St Ste 103, Elmhurst, IL 60126, United States
• EVE - User Experience Design Agency - 7135 N Merrimac Ave, Chicago, IL 60646, United States
• Tangent Design Group, Inc. - 2701 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60622, United States

Yes. If the brief is “we’re early-stage, need something tangible quickly, and want a partner who will iterate UX with us rather than disappear into a 3-month discovery process,” I’d shortlist these Chicago firms:

• Grand Studio — best overall for digital product/UX. River North, very strong on product strategy, UX research, prototyping, and figuring out MVP scope. I'd consider them if the product is complex or you're still shaping what to build.
• UX 4Sight — best for UX-heavy iteration. Their work spans research, flows, wireframes, usability testing, UI and design validation. More focused on the UX discipline than a general creative agency.
• IDE Interactive, Inc. — best if you want design + actual software development. They're a Chicago experience-design/development studio, so there's less of a “here are the Figma files, good luck” handoff.
• MNML — particularly interesting if there's a physical/connected product. They're actually in Fulton Market at 170 N Sangamon and combine product design, engineering, UX and prototyping.
• Primal Design — strong if hardware is involved. They're literally on W Fulton and specialize in rapid physical prototyping plus engineering/product development. Primal Design
• Highland — probably the most directly aligned with your “prototype → test → iterate” language. Their Chicago team explicitly offers design sprints, rapid prototyping, UX research and iterative user testing, and they can take concepts into functional pilots rather than stopping at clickable mockups. Highland Solutions Highland Solutions
• Parallel — worth talking to if you want a relatively focused product-design engagement. They specifically advertise taking startups from idea to prototype in weeks and doing iterative prototyping alongside user testing. ParallelHQ

My first 3 calls

For a typical early-stage SaaS/app startup, I'd call:

1. Grand Studio — if you need help deciding what to build.
2. IDE Interactive — if you want someone who can move from UX into a working prototype/product.
3. Highland — if rapid research, prototyping and iteration are the core requirement.

If you're hardware/IoT, I'd swap in MNML or Primal immediately.

One caveat: I wouldn't optimize for being physically in Fulton Market. The important distinction is whether they'll put senior product/UX people directly on the project and iterate weekly, versus selling you a conventional agency process.

If you tell me what you're building (SaaS, mobile app, AI product, hardware, etc.), rough prototype budget ($10–25k / $25–50k / $50k+), and whether you need engineering or just UX, I can narrow this to 3 agencies I'd actually interview, including likely engagement model and what I'd ask each one.

For an early-stage startup in Fulton Market, I’d bias toward a small product studio that can sit with founders, prototype in days/weeks, run UX loops, and not turn the engagement into a giant discovery project. A few Chicago options worth talking to:

A few more startup-oriented options:

• Caxy Interactive — worth considering if you want design + engineering together; their product design sprint offering emphasizes research, interactive prototypes, and validation before building. www.caxy.com
• Highland Solutions — established Chicago product/UX firm with rapid prototyping, design sprints, UX research, and product strategy capabilities. www.highlandsolutions.com
• Rubik.design — positioned around fast MVP/product design work for startups, including high-fidelity prototypes and rapid iteration. www.rubik.design

For a Fulton Market founder, my shortlist to interview would probably be:

1. Caxy — if you need something that can go from prototype → working MVP.
2. Grand Studio — if the hard part is figuring out what to build and how users should experience it.
3. Next Sketch — if you want a smaller, founder-friendly design partner.
4. Highland — if you want a more mature UX process.

When interviewing them, I’d ask:

• “Can you put a senior product designer directly with the founders?”
• “How many iterations can we realistically get in 4–6 weeks?”
• “Will you build clickable prototypes in Figma/Framer, or only deliver research decks?”
• “Can you recruit/test with our target users?”
• “Can your team stay involved after prototype validation?”

For an early startup, I’d avoid agencies that start with a 3-month strategy phase before anyone touches the product. You probably want a 2–6 week sprint that ends with a tested prototype and a clearer MVP roadmap.

• Beyond Design, Inc. - 3759 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60613
• UXM Studio - 230 E Ohio St Ste 210, Chicago, IL 60611
• Flamingo Agency - 3752 N Southport Ave, Chicago, IL 60613
• UX 4Sight - 111 W Jackson Blvd Unit 1700, Chicago, IL 60604
• Sandstorm Design - 4422 N Ravenswood Ave #50, Chicago, IL 60640
• DS&P Digital Marketing & PR Agency - 332 S Michigan Ave #900, Chicago, IL 60604
• Quasar Design Inc. - 1623 W Fulton St, Chicago, IL 60612
• Next/Now - 1200 W Lake St #2, Chicago, IL 60607
• Comrade Digital Marketing Agency - 332 S Michigan Ave #900, Chicago, IL 60604
• CHOI Design Group - 852 N California Ave C1, Chicago, IL 60622
• Grand Studio - 444 N Wells St #501, Chicago, IL 60654

Yes. For an early-stage startup in Fulton Market, I’d bias toward a small product-design partner that can sit with you, prototype in days/weeks, test with users, and iterate—not a big agency that hands you a strategy deck.

My Chicago shortlist

• Beyond Design, Inc. — More product/industrial-design oriented, so strongest if there’s a physical + digital component. They do research, UX, engineering, and rapid prototyping under one roof. Beyond Design
• Primal Design — Probably my first call for your situation. They're actually at 1623 W. Fulton St., work directly with founders/product leaders, and emphasize a hands-on, customized product-development process. Primal Design
• Caxy — Strong choice if you want UX + prototype + engineering rather than design-only. Their Chicago team offers a fixed-price 5-week product-design sprint including research, journey mapping, interactive prototype, and validation with real users. Caxy
• Highland — A more established Chicago product-development firm. They specifically offer design sprints, rapid prototyping, UX research, and iterative product strategy. Highland Solutions Highland Solutions
• Wolfco — Worth talking to if the main problem is figuring out the UX, rather than simply making polished screens. Their process explicitly uses lightweight prototypes, usability testing, research, and repeated iteration. Wolfco
• Rubik.design — More startup/MVP-oriented and explicitly markets to Fulton Market. They claim 6–8 week MVP/design cycles and focus on high-fidelity interactive prototypes rather than static mockups. Rubik
• Toimi — Potentially good if you want a relatively lightweight engagement: they advertise 2–4 week prototypes, UX-first work, and flexibility with revisions for startups. Toimi

How I'd narrow it

For what you described, I'd interview Primal, Caxy, and Wolfco first.

The key question I'd ask each one is:

“Can we work together for 4–6 weeks, starting from our rough product concept, and leave with a tested interactive prototype—not a giant UX strategy deck?”

Then ask them to show you one early-stage project where the product changed materially because of user testing. That will tell you much more than their polished portfolio.

If you tell me what you're building (B2B SaaS, consumer app, marketplace, AI product, etc.) and roughly what you're willing to spend ($10–25k, $25–50k, $50k+), I can narrow this to 3 agencies I'd actually take meetings with and compare their likely fit.

If you’re an early-stage startup in Fulton Market and the goal is “get something tangible in front of users quickly, learn, iterate, repeat,” I’d prioritize product-design shops over traditional branding/web agencies.

My Chicago shortlist

• caxy.com — strongest overall fit. They’re founder-led in Chicago and explicitly offer a 5-week fixed-price product-design sprint covering research, journey mapping, interactive prototyping, and validation with real users. Importantly, their designers work alongside engineers, so you’re less likely to end up with a beautiful prototype that can't be built. Caxy
• primaldesign.com — best for founder-level product collaboration. They’re actually at 1623 W Fulton St, and describe their process as customized rather than a rigid agency methodology. Their positioning is very much around working directly with founders/product leaders and getting hands-on early in product development. Primal Design
• wolfco.us — strong UX/research choice. Their approach is particularly good if you're still figuring out what to build: lightweight prototypes, usability testing, research, hypotheses, and iteration before investing heavily in UI/development. Wolfco
• highlandsolutions.com — more established, but very capable. They combine UX research, rapid prototyping, design sprints and product strategy, and have been doing product design/development in Chicago for 25+ years. I'd consider them if the product is complex or has meaningful research requirements. Highland Solutions Highland Solutions
• toimi.pro — worth talking to if speed/budget are paramount. They specifically advertise 2–4 week prototypes, UX-first work, flexible edits, sprint-based iteration, and startup MVPs. Toimi
• rubik.design — interesting if the immediate objective is a high-fidelity clickable MVP/demo. They advertise 6–8 week MVP design work and explicitly cover Fulton Market, with an emphasis on interactive prototypes rather than static mockups. Rubik

Who I'd call first

For your particular description, I'd make the first three calls:

1. Caxy → if you want UX + prototype + validation + path to engineering
2. Primal → if you want a close founder/product-design partner, especially given the Fulton Market location
3. Wolfco → if you're still uncertain about product/UX and need rapid experimentation

I'd not start with a big general-purpose digital agency. At this stage, you want a small senior team that can sit with you on Monday, prototype by Wednesday, put it in front of 5 users Thursday, and change it Friday.

One other interesting option is thirtytwonorth.com, particularly if this is an AI/agentic product. They advertise 2–4 week AI proof-of-concepts and week-to-week design partnerships rather than conventional long agency engagements. 32°N — Thirty Two North

If you tell me what you're building (B2B SaaS, consumer, fintech, AI, marketplace, etc.) and roughly your prototype budget ($10k / $25k / $50k+), I can narrow this to 3 agencies I'd actually put in an RFP, including estimated engagement structure and what I'd ask each one.

• Rocket Wagon - 600 W Fulton St Suite #510, Chicago, IL 60661, United States
• Highland - 125 S Clark St Ste 670, Chicago, IL 60603, United States
• UX 4Sight - 111 W Jackson Blvd Unit 1700, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• Grand Studio - 444 N Wells St #501, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Next Sketch - Chicago, IL 60642
• IDE Interactive, Inc. - 2945 W Peterson Ave Ste 103, Chicago, IL 60659, United States
• TEAMS Design - 1812 W Hubbard St #200, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• Beyond Design, Inc. - 3759 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• Primal Design - 1623 W Fulton St, Chicago, IL 60612, United States
• MNML - 170 N Sangamon St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• ArtVersion® Creative Agency - 211 W Wacker Dr Ste 1130, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Design In Chicago - 159 N Sangamon St Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• CHOI Design Group - 852 N California Ave C1, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• product council - 5547 N Ravenswood Ave Unit 406, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Beyond Design - 4515 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60640

If you’re an early-stage startup in Fulton Market and the brief is essentially “help us get from rough idea → clickable prototype → user feedback → iterate quickly”, I’d shortlist these first:

1. Rocket Wagon — strongest local fit

• 600 W Fulton St, so literally in Fulton Market.
• Combines UX/UI, product strategy, and software development, rather than being purely a design shop.
• I’d talk to them if you want an agency that can prototype and potentially carry the product into an MVP.
• Highland — strongest for structured UX iteration

• Chicago product-development firm with explicit rapid prototyping, design sprints, UX research, usability testing and product strategy capabilities.
• Their stated process is very aligned with what you're describing: prototype, put it in front of users, learn, adjust, repeat. Highland Solutions Highland Solutions
• Probably a better choice than a pure UI agency if you're still figuring out what the product should be.
• UX 4Sight — strongest UX specialist

• More UX/UI-centric: research, task flows, wireframes, usability testing, validation and design systems.
• Good option if you already have engineering covered and primarily need a senior product-design partner.
• Grand Studio — strong for ambiguous/complex products

• Human-centered product consultancy with research → concept → prototype → testing.
• I'd consider them if the startup has a complicated workflow or B2B product where getting the underlying UX model right matters more than simply making attractive screens.
• Next Sketch — interesting small-studio option

• Chicago-based and explicitly oriented toward early-stage product experience, product strategy, prototyping and ongoing iteration.
• Worth investigating if you want a smaller, more founder-close engagement rather than a large consultancy.

One I’d put at the top of your list

Rocket Wagon is the one I'd call first given your location and brief. Being at 600 W Fulton makes the collaboration unusually convenient, and their combination of design + engineering means you're less likely to end up with a beautiful Figma file that nobody can turn into something testable.

I'd also get a proposal from Highland as the comparison point. Their rapid-prototyping/design-sprint methodology is almost exactly the “learn quickly rather than over-design” model you're looking for. Highland Solutions

For an early-stage startup, I wouldn't ask agencies for a traditional “UX redesign” proposal. I'd ask for a 2–4 week product discovery + prototype sprint, with deliverables like:

• 1–2 key user journeys mapped
• clickable high-fidelity prototype
• 5–10 user tests
• weekly/continuous iteration
• prioritized product/UX decisions
• developer-ready Figma/design system
• optionally, a functional prototype/MVP

That framing should reveal pretty quickly which firms actually work at startup speed versus agencies that mainly sell large discovery engagements.

If you tell me what the startup is building (B2B SaaS, consumer, fintech, AI, marketplace, etc.) and roughly your budget, I can narrow this to 3 agencies I'd actually interview, including smaller Chicago studios that may be a better fit than the big consultancies.

• Rocket Wagon - 600 W Fulton St Suite #510, Chicago, IL 60661, United States
• Next Sketch - Chicago, IL 60642
• Ux.haus - 318 W Adams St, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Highland - 125 S Clark St Ste 670, Chicago, IL 60603, United States
• Grand Studio - 444 N Wells St #501, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Beyond Design, Inc. - 3759 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• TEAMS Design - 1812 W Hubbard St #200, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• Beyond Design - 4515 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60640
• product council - 5547 N Ravenswood Ave Unit 406, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• MNML - 170 N Sangamon St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• CHOI Design Group - 852 N California Ave C1, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• CHOi Design Group - 2501 W Washington Blvd, Ste 400, Chicago, IL 60612
• LUNAR - 1229 W Washington Blvd, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• UX 4Sight - 111 W Jackson Blvd Unit 1700, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• Primal Design - 1623 W Fulton St, Chicago, IL 60612, United States

Yes. For an early-stage startup that needs to prototype quickly, test UX, and iterate rather than commission a giant “agency project,” I’d shortlist a handful of Chicago firms quite differently from a generic UX-agency list.

My shortlist

• Rocket Wagon — best if you want design + actual product engineering. They’re literally in Fulton Market at 600 W Fulton and combine UX/product design with software development. Good fit if the prototype needs to become a real MVP rather than a Figma artifact.
• Next Sketch — probably the most interesting fit for very early stage. They’re a small Chicago consultancy focused on early-stage product experience, product strategy, UX/UI and rapid iteration, with a Fulton St location. I’d talk to them if you want a senior, founder-close engagement rather than a big agency process.
• Flowform Studio — best pure product-design option. They explicitly position themselves around startups, strategy → UX → UI → rapid prototyping, with senior designers and no handoffs. They say initial designs can land in 24–48 hours and prototypes can be built in days. Flowform
• Ux.haus — good if the problem is still fuzzy. They combine UX research, product strategy, journey design, rapid prototyping and software development, rather than treating UX as simply making screens.
• Highland — stronger/more established option. Their Chicago team explicitly does rapid prototyping, usability testing and iterative redesign, and they have 25+ years of product-development experience. I'd consider them if you're tackling a complicated workflow or regulated/enterprise product, but they may be more process than you need at the earliest stage. Highland Solutions Highland Solutions
• Caxy — best if you want a prototype that is already close to production software. Their design sprint is five weeks and includes research, journey mapping, an interactive prototype and validation with real users; their designers work alongside engineers. They're founder-led from Chicago. Caxy

If I were you

I'd interview Rocket Wagon, Next Sketch, and Flowform first.

The distinction I'd use:

One other interesting option is Grand Studio in River North. They're much more research/strategy-heavy and particularly good when the product problem is complex or ambiguous, but I'd put them behind the three above for a typical seed-stage startup trying to move extremely quickly.

For an early-stage startup, I'd specifically avoid hiring someone who sells you a 10-week “discovery → strategy → UX → UI → handoff” waterfall. Ask instead for a 2–3 week paid sprint where the deliverable is a working prototype, 5–10 user conversations/tests, and several iteration cycles. That will tell you very quickly whether the agency actually operates at startup speed.

If you tell me what you're building (B2B SaaS, consumer app, AI product, marketplace, fintech, etc.) and roughly what you want to spend ($10–25k vs. $25–75k vs. $75k+), I can narrow this to 3 Chicago agencies I'd actually put in an RFP and give you the questions I'd use to vet them.

For an early-stage startup in Fulton Market, I’d look less for a traditional “agency” and more for a product studio that can sit with founders, turn ambiguous ideas into clickable prototypes, run UX experiments, and iterate weekly. These Chicago teams are the ones I’d shortlist:

Best fits for a startup MVP + rapid UX iteration

• Highland Solutions — Strong fit if you need product strategy → UX research → prototypes → build support. They explicitly focus on human-centered design, rapid prototyping, design sprints, and digital products. Highland Solutions Highland Solutions

Best for: founders who need help figuring out what to build, not just making screens.

• Primal Design — Located in Fulton Market/near West Loop and works directly with founders and product leaders. Good fit for hands-on product development and early product definition. Primal Design

Best for: hardware/software hybrids, new category products, founder-led collaboration.

• Wolfco — More UX/product-design oriented; emphasizes research, prototypes, usability testing, and validating ideas before heavy engineering investment. Wolfco

Best for: consumer apps, SaaS, marketplaces where UX discovery matters.

• Rubik.design — Startup-oriented product design shop focused on UI/UX, MVPs, and high-fidelity prototypes. Rubik

Best for: getting from idea → polished prototype → investor/customer demos quickly.

• Bolder Apps — More engineering-capable if you want the same partner to go from prototype into an MVP. They specifically mention working with startups in Fulton Market/West Loop. Bolder Apps

Best for: “we need something real users can touch in 8–12 weeks.”

• Dakic — A smaller product engineering shop focused on MVPs and weekly shipping cycles. Dakic

Best for: technical founders who need senior builders rather than a large agency process.

Also worth a conversation (depending on product type)

• UX 4Sight — UX-focused consultancy with a local presence.
• DesignScout — Broader design studio; better if brand + experience design are both priorities.
• MNML — More established product/industrial design DNA; useful for physical products or complex experiences.

My shortlist for a Fulton Market startup

If I were a founder trying to move fast, I’d probably take intro calls with:

1. Highland — if the product is still fuzzy and you need discovery + UX.
2. Wolfco — if you already know the problem and need validation/prototypes.
3. Rubik.design — if you need polished UX/UI quickly.
4. Bolder Apps or Dakic — if you want prototype → working MVP.

When interviewing them, I’d ask:

• “Can you put a designer/product lead with us weekly?”
• “How many prototype-test-iterate cycles do you expect in the first month?”
• “Do you do user interviews and usability testing, or just UI?”
• “Who actually does the work — senior people or junior delivery staff?”
• “Can you take a Figma prototype into production?”

For an early-stage company, I’d avoid agencies that mainly sell branding/websites; you want a team comfortable with uncertainty and changing direction.

• Rocket Wagon - 600 W Fulton St Suite #510, Chicago, IL 60661, United States
• TXI - 10 S Riverside Plaza Ste 875 - #7670, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Highland - 125 S Clark St Ste 670, Chicago, IL 60603, United States
• Grand Studio - 444 N Wells St #501, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• UX 4Sight - 111 W Jackson Blvd Unit 1700, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• product council - 5547 N Ravenswood Ave Unit 406, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Beyond Design, Inc. - 3759 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• TEAMS Design - 1812 W Hubbard St #200, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• IDE Interactive, Inc. - 2945 W Peterson Ave Ste 103, Chicago, IL 60659, United States
• Streng - Chicago - 220 N Green St, Chicago, IL 60607
• Vault Innovation - 20 N Wacker Dr Ste 1200, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Design Kitchen - 1140 W Fulton Market, Chicago, IL 60607
• MNML - 170 N Sangamon St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Eight Bit Studios - 1 E Erie St, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• Dom & Tom - 625 N Michigan Ave, Ste 1800, Chicago, IL 60611
• Beyond Design - 4515 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60640

Yes. For an early-stage startup in Fulton Market, I’d bias toward a small senior product team that can sit close to you, prototype in Figma/functional code, test with users, and change direction every few days—not a traditional “strategy → requirements → design → dev” agency.

My Chicago shortlist

• Rocket Wagon — 600 W Fulton St, so literally in Fulton Market. They combine product strategy, UX/UI, and software engineering. This would be one of my first calls if you want prototype → iterate → build, rather than just UX deliverables.
• TXI — Strong product-discovery/design/engineering combination. They emphasize user research, prototyping, usability testing and lean product development. Probably a better fit if the problem is still somewhat ambiguous and you need help figuring out what to build.
• Highland — More established, but unusually aligned with what you're describing: rapid prototyping, design sprints, UX research, UI/UX and iterative testing. They explicitly describe prototypes as a way to rapidly learn and refine an MVP. Highland Solutions Highland Solutions
• Grand Studio — Very strong UX/product-design orientation: research → concepts → prototypes → iterative testing. I'd consider them if UX quality and product thinking matter more than immediately writing production code.
• UX 4Sight — More UX-specialist than full product-development shop. Good option if you already have engineering but need a team to rapidly improve workflows, usability and UI.
• product council / Beyond Design, Inc. — Worth considering if this is a physical/connected product rather than purely SaaS. Both have deeper physical prototyping/product-development capabilities.

One I'd look at especially closely

Primal Design is at 1623 W Fulton St and explicitly works with founders and product leaders, with a flexible product-development process rather than a rigid agency methodology. Primal Design

For your situation, my first three conversations would probably be:

1. Rocket Wagon — best geographic/startup/product-build fit.
2. Primal Design — best if you want a very hands-on founder/product relationship.
3. TXI or Grand Studio — best if you're still figuring out the product/UX and want serious discovery + prototyping.

I would not hire based on portfolio polish alone. Ask each agency to propose a 2-week paid sprint rather than asking for a six-month MVP quote. Something like: map the core user journey → prototype the riskiest 1–2 flows → put it in front of 5–8 users → iterate → leave us with a validated prototype and an MVP recommendation.

That will tell you very quickly who actually knows how to work at startup speed.

If you tell me what you're building (B2B SaaS, consumer app, AI product, marketplace, physical product, etc.) and roughly what budget you have for the first 4–6 weeks, I can narrow this to 3 agencies and tell you what I'd ask each one to quote.

• Rocket Wagon - 600 W Fulton St Suite #510, Chicago, IL 60661, United States
• Atomic Object - 609 W Randolph St Ste 400, Chicago, IL 60661, United States
• We Are Mammoth - 210 N Morgan St, Chicago, IL 60607
• Dogtown Media - 159 N Sangamon St Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Volume Studios - 159 N Sangamon St Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• UnitOneNine - 650 W Lake St, Chicago, IL 60661, United States
• Design In Chicago - 159 N Sangamon St Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Streng - Chicago - 220 N Green St, Chicago, IL 60607
• MNML - 170 N Sangamon St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Fast Radius - 113 N May St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• C Change - 1052 W Fulton Market, Chicago, IL 60607
• ComboApp - 220 N Green St, Fl 2nd, Chicago, IL 60607
• 3DPX Additive Manufacturing - 410 N Milwaukee Ave Ste 100, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• NEWMEDIA.COM - 444 W Lake St Ste 1700, Chicago, IL 60606, United States

If the brief is “we’re early-stage, in Fulton Market, need to get from idea → clickable prototype → user feedback → iterate quickly,” I’d prioritize product studios over traditional branding/UX agencies.

My Chicago shortlist

• Rocket Wagon — best overall fit if you want design + engineering. They’re literally in Fulton Market at 600 W Fulton and combine product strategy, UX/UI, and software development. Good candidate if you expect the prototype to turn into the actual MVP.
• Atomic Object — best for a serious MVP partner. Their Chicago team combines product discovery/design with engineering and explicitly works with startups building early products. Better if you want something functional rather than a Figma-only prototype.
• We Are Mammoth — good boutique option nearby. Their Fulton Market/West Loop presence and combination of product strategy, UX/UI, and engineering make them worth talking to for an iterative web product.
• Dogtown Media — worth considering for mobile/app-heavy products. Their Chicago office is on N. Sangamon and their offering spans product strategy, UX/UI, development, testing, and startup MVPs.
• Caxy — strongest “design sprint → validated prototype” option. Their Chicago team offers a fixed-price, five-week product design sprint including contextual research, journey mapping, interactive prototyping and validation with real users. They also have engineers working alongside designers. Caxy
• Primal Design — interesting if you want very hands-on senior product design. They're at 1623 W Fulton and explicitly work directly with founders on new products, with a flexible product-development process. Primal Design
• Highland — best if UX research/validation is a major part of the problem. Their Chicago practice explicitly combines UX, rapid prototyping, design sprints and user testing; they've been doing product development for 25+ years. Likely more process-heavy than the first few options. Highland Solutions Highland Solutions

Who I'd call first

For a seed/pre-seed startup, I'd probably take three intro calls:

1. Rocket Wagon — if you want a partner who can go prototype → production.
2. Caxy — if you're still figuring out the product and want rapid UX validation before committing to engineering.
3. We Are Mammoth — if you want a smaller, design/engineering-oriented studio with a nearby presence.

There's also Rubik.design, which specifically markets rapid MVP/product design for Chicago startups, claiming 6–8 week average MVPs and 24–48-hour starts. I'd treat that as a speed/price benchmark rather than automatically putting them ahead of the established Chicago studios. Rubik

One thing I'd put in the agency brief

Don't ask for a generic “UX redesign” or “prototype.” Tell them:

We want a 2–4 week product sprint that takes us from current hypothesis → core user flows → clickable prototype → 5–10 user tests → iteration → engineering-ready spec.

Then ask each agency:

• Who exactly will be doing the work?
• How many days per week will they be embedded with us?
• Can we change direction week-to-week without change-order hell?
• Do they test prototypes with actual users?
• Can the same team take the winning prototype into production?
• Show us 2 examples where the initial concept changed materially because of user feedback.

That last question is especially revealing. You want a team that's comfortable being wrong quickly, not one that's optimized for delivering beautiful Figma files.

If you tell me roughly what you're building (B2B SaaS, consumer app, fintech, AI, marketplace, etc.) and your budget ($10–25k / $25–50k / $50k+), I can narrow this to 3–5 agencies that are genuinely appropriate, including likely engagement model and who I'd contact first.

Then ask each agency:

• Rocket Wagon - 600 W Fulton St Suite #510, Chicago, IL 60661, United States
• Dogtown Media - 159 N Sangamon St Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Highland - 125 S Clark St Ste 670, Chicago, IL 60603, United States
• Vault Innovation - 20 N Wacker Dr Ste 1200, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Beyond Design, Inc. - 3759 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• TEAMS Design - 1812 W Hubbard St #200, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• UX 4Sight - 111 W Jackson Blvd Unit 1700, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• MNML - 170 N Sangamon St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• product council - 5547 N Ravenswood Ave Unit 406, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• LaunchPad Lab - 448 N La Salle Dr Fl 9, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• ArtVersion® Creative Agency - 211 W Wacker Dr Ste 1130, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Beyond Design - 4515 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60640
• Synergy Labs - Mobile App and Web Developers Agency in Chicago - 515 N State St, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• CHOI Design Group - 852 N California Ave C1, Chicago, IL 60622, United States

If the goal is “we’re early, we need something clickable/real quickly, and we want to iterate UX with users rather than disappear for 3 months into an agency process,” I’d shortlist these:

1. Rocket Wagon — probably my first call

• Literally in Fulton Market: 600 W Fulton St.
• Combines UX/UI + product strategy + engineering, so you can go from concept → prototype → working product without a handoff between firms.
• Especially attractive if you want the agency sitting close enough to work shoulder-to-shoulder with the founding team.
• Dogtown Media — best if you want prototype → actual app

• At 159 N Sangamon, right in Fulton Market.
• Does product strategy, UX/UI, development, testing and ongoing iteration.
• I'd consider them if your prototype needs to become a real mobile/web MVP relatively quickly.
• Primal Design — strongest “product design partner” fit

• They're at 1623 W Fulton St., so unusually close to you.
• They explicitly work with founders and early-stage product teams and tailor the product-development process rather than forcing a fixed methodology. Primal Design
• I'd lean toward them if the hard problem is figuring out what to build and getting the UX right, rather than simply hiring developers.
• Highland — strongest structured UX/prototyping option

• More established than the typical startup studio.
• Their Chicago practice explicitly offers rapid prototyping, design sprints, UX research, usability testing and iterative UI/UX, including clickable and functional prototypes. Highland Solutions Highland Solutions
• Potential downside: I'd expect a somewhat more formal process than you'd get from a tiny founder-focused studio.
• Vault Innovation — worth talking to for a smaller team

• Chicago-based product/software shop working with founders and small teams.
• Their model connects discovery, UX, prototypes and implementation, which is useful when you don't yet know exactly where the product requirements will land.

The one I'd actually run a bake-off with

I'd talk to Rocket Wagon, Primal, and Dogtown first.

For an early-stage company, I'd give each the same deliberately vague brief:

“We have a hypothesis, some early customer conversations, and a rough product concept. We want to get to a testable prototype in 1–2 weeks, put it in front of users, and iterate rapidly. We don't want a giant discovery deck or a six-month implementation commitment.”

Then ask them:

• Who exactly will be doing the work day-to-day?
• Can we have weekly—or twice-weekly—prototype/user-testing cycles?
• Can you build something functional enough to test, not just Figma screens?
• Can the same team take it from prototype into MVP?
• What's the smallest engagement you can start with?
• Can we stop after 2–3 weeks if the hypothesis is wrong?
• Who owns the Figma files, research, code and design system?
• Show us 2–3 examples where the product materially changed after user testing.

That last question is particularly important. For your stage, I'd value an agency that can say “we thought X, tested it, discovered Y, threw away half the flow, and rebuilt it” much more than one with beautiful finished case studies.

If you tell me what you're building (B2B SaaS / consumer / marketplace / AI / fintech / physical product) and roughly your prototype budget ($10k, $25k, $50k+), I can narrow this to 3 agencies and compare them on startup fit, speed, likely cost, and proximity to Fulton Market.

For an early-stage startup in Fulton Market, I’d look for a product studio, not a traditional UX agency. You probably want a team that can sit with founders, turn fuzzy ideas into clickable prototypes in Figma, run user tests, and keep iterating weekly — ideally with some engineering capability so you don’t hand off designs that never get built.

A shortlist in Chicago:

Best fits for a startup MVP / rapid UX iteration

• Highland — probably one of the strongest fits if you need strategy → UX → prototype → build. They emphasize lean startup methods, rapid prototyping, design sprints, UX research, and product strategy. Highland Solutions Highland Solutions

Good for: SaaS, marketplaces, internal tools, apps where product direction is still evolving.

• LaunchPad Lab — a good option if you want a partner that can handle discovery, UX/UI, and software delivery rather than just mockups.

Good for: founders who want a small product team rather than separate designers + developers.

• Bolder Apps — more engineering-heavy, but positioned around startup apps, product consulting, design, development, and iterative launches. Bolder Apps

Good for: mobile-first MVPs where you need someone to actually ship.

• IDE Interactive — combines UX/product thinking with implementation.

Good for: web apps, portals, customer-facing products.

More UX/product-design focused

• Grand Studio — strong for research-heavy product design, complex workflows, and early concept validation.

Good for: B2B products, enterprise workflows, AI products.

• Thirty Two North — focuses on complex digital products and newer AI/agent-style experiences. 32°N — Thirty Two North

Good for: sophisticated SaaS or AI products.

• EVE - User Experience Design Agency — boutique UX partner offering discovery, prototyping, testing, and iteration.

Good for: teams that already have engineers but need stronger product design.

If you want someone very close to Fulton Market

• Point B Communications Inc is actually in Fulton Market/West Loop and does web/UI/UX work, though it appears more brand/web oriented than a full product engineering partner. ALL FOR™ ALL FOR™

Good for: landing pages, brand, early marketing site, investor-facing polish.

My likely shortlist for a 3–10 person startup

I’d probably take intro calls with:

1. Highland — if you’re still figuring out the product.
2. LaunchPad Lab — if you need design + build.
3. Bolder Apps — if mobile/app execution is central.
4. Grand Studio — if UX complexity is the hard problem.

When interviewing them, I’d ask:

• “Can you get us from idea → clickable prototype in 2–3 weeks?”
• “Who is actually doing the design work day-to-day?”
• “Do you run user tests with real customers?”
• “Can you stay with us through MVP iterations, or do you hand off after Figma?”
• “Can we work in weekly sprints with founder access?”

For an early-stage company, I’d avoid agencies that start with a 6-week discovery phase and a 100-page strategy deck. You likely want fast learning loops over polished deliverables.

Yes. For an early-stage startup in Fulton Market where the priority is “get something clickable in front of users quickly, learn, iterate, repeat”, I’d focus on product-design shops rather than traditional branding/web agencies.

My Chicago shortlist

• Primal Design — Best if this is hardware or hardware + software. They’re actually on Fulton St. and explicitly work from early concepts through rapid prototypes, engineering, and manufacturing. Primal Design Primal Design

primaldesign.com

• Highland — Probably my first call for a digital startup. They combine UX research, UI/UX, rapid prototyping, design sprints, and product strategy. Their stated process is specifically about creating just enough prototype to test, get user feedback, and iterate. Highland Solutions Highland Solutions

highlandsolutions.com

• Wolfco — Good fit if UX discovery and rapid experimentation are the heart of the engagement. They emphasize lightweight interactive prototypes, usability testing, user research, and pivoting quickly rather than polishing something before validating it. Wolfco

wolfco.us

• Cabot Solutions — Worth considering if you want the agency to move from prototype into an actual MVP. They describe cross-functional teams spanning product strategy, UX research/design, engineering, and DevOps, with a Fulton Market presence. Cabot Solutions

cabotsolutions.com

One I would not prioritize

ALL FOR is right in Fulton Market and is clearly startup-friendly, but its center of gravity is brand/visual/web/packaging rather than deep product discovery and iterative UX. I'd use them for brand + marketing site work, not as the primary product prototyping partner. ALL FOR™ ALL FOR™

How I'd approach the RFP

Don't ask agencies for a generic "UX/UI engagement." Tell them you want a 2–4 week product discovery + prototype sprint with something like:

1. Clarify the core user/job-to-be-done.
2. Map the critical user flows.
3. Build a clickable Figma prototype.
4. Put it in front of 5–10 target users.
5. Iterate based on observed behavior.
6. End with an MVP-ready product spec/design system and prioritized roadmap.

I'd specifically ask each agency: “Can you show me a startup where you went from ambiguous idea → prototype → user testing → materially different V2 in under a month?”

That question will separate the genuinely iterative product teams from agencies that simply call their normal design process “rapid.”

If I were making the first three calls: Highland → Wolfco → Primal (swap Primal for Cabot if it's purely software).

That question will separate the genuinely iterative product teams from agencies that simply call their normal design process “rapid.”

• Rocket Wagon - 600 W Fulton St Suite #510, Chicago, IL 60661, United States
• Highland - 141 W Jackson Blvd, Ste 2200, Chicago, IL 60604
• Dogtown Media - 159 N Sangamon St Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Grand Studio - 444 N Wells St #501, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• UX 4Sight - 111 W Jackson Blvd Unit 1700, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• IDEO Chicago - 626 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60661, United States
• Primal Design - 1623 W Fulton St, Chicago, IL 60612, United States
• Beyond Design, Inc. - 3759 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• TEAMS Design - 1812 W Hubbard St #200, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• IDE Interactive, Inc. - 2945 W Peterson Ave Ste 103, Chicago, IL 60659, United States
• product council - 5547 N Ravenswood Ave Unit 406, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Dom & Tom - 625 N Michigan Ave, Ste 1800, Chicago, IL 60611
• Beyond Design - 4515 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60640
• IA Collaborative - 218 S Wabash Ave 9th Floor, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• MNML - 170 N Sangamon St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• LaunchPad Lab - 448 N La Salle Dr Fl 9, Chicago, IL 60654, United States

Yes. For an early-stage startup in Fulton Market, I’d bias toward a small senior product team that can go idea → clickable prototype → user test → iteration, rather than a traditional branding/web agency.

My Chicago shortlist

• Rocket Wagon — best geographic fit. They’re actually at 600 W Fulton St and combine product strategy, UX/UI, and custom software development. That makes them particularly interesting if you want the agency to eventually build the product, not just design it. Primal Design
• Highland — best for rigorous UX + rapid iteration. Their process explicitly includes rapid prototyping, design sprints, user research, usability testing, and iterative refinement, followed by product development. This is probably the strongest match to your “prototype and iterate quickly” requirement. Highland Solutions Highland Solutions
• Dogtown Media — best if you want design + engineering. Their Fulton Market/West Loop presence and end-to-end model cover product strategy, UX/UI, development, testing, launch, and ongoing support.
• Grand Studio — best for product thinking. Stronger choice if you haven't fully nailed the problem, workflow, or MVP yet. They work through research, product strategy, prototyping, and iterative testing.
• UX 4Sight — worth considering if the main problem is UX. More UX/UI-centric than a build shop, with an emphasis on research, usability, and improving digital experiences.
• IDEO Chicago — excellent, but probably overkill for most early-stage startups. Great human-centered product/prototype capability, but I'd only put them in the mix if the problem is unusually complex or you're well funded.

One I'd specifically investigate

Primal Design is also unusually relevant: they're on Fulton, work directly with founders, and describe a flexible product-development process rather than a fixed agency methodology. Primal Design

If I were making 3 calls tomorrow, I'd start with Rocket Wagon, Highland, and Primal.

The key question I'd ask each is:

“We don't need a giant discovery engagement. We want a senior team that can spend 1–2 weeks understanding the product, get a high-fidelity prototype in users' hands, learn from it, and iterate weekly. Can you work that way?”

That question will quickly separate the actual product partners from agencies that will spend six weeks producing a strategy deck.

For an early-stage company, I'd also ask for a fixed-price 2–3 week prototype sprint rather than committing immediately to a six-month build. That gives you a much better read on their speed, judgment, and UX instincts before handing them the product.

• Highland - 125 S Clark St Ste 670, Chicago, IL 60603, United States
• Vault Innovation - 20 N Wacker Dr Ste 1200, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Grand Studio - 444 N Wells St #501, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• EVE - User Experience Design Agency - 7135 N Merrimac Ave, Chicago, IL 60646, United States
• LUNAR - 1229 W Washington Blvd, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Primal Design - 1623 W Fulton St, Chicago, IL 60612, United States
• TEAMS Design - 1812 W Hubbard St #200, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• Beyond Design, Inc. - 3759 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• CHOi Design Group - 2501 W Washington Blvd, Ste 400, Chicago, IL 60612
• CHOI Design Group - 852 N California Ave C1, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• MNML - 170 N Sangamon St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• product council - 5547 N Ravenswood Ave Unit 406, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Beyond Design - 4515 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60640
• IDEO Chicago - 626 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60661, United States
• IDE Interactive, Inc. - 2945 W Peterson Ave Ste 103, Chicago, IL 60659, United States
• UX 4Sight - 111 W Jackson Blvd Unit 1700, Chicago, IL 60604, United States

For an early-stage startup in Fulton Market, I’d look for a partner that behaves more like an embedded product team than a traditional agency: someone who can run discovery, turn rough ideas into Figma prototypes, test flows, and iterate weekly.

A few Chicago options that fit that profile:

Strong fits for startup MVP + UX iteration

• Highland — probably one of the better fits if you need product strategy + UX + actual build support. They do design sprints, rapid prototyping, UX/UI, and digital product development. Highland Solutions Highland Solutions

Best for: SaaS, marketplaces, internal tools, complex workflows where you need someone to help define the product—not just make screens.

• Vault Innovation — more engineering-oriented, but useful if you want a partner who can go from prototype into a working MVP. Their services include UX/UI, prototypes, and software development.

Best for: “We need something clickable now and shipped soon.”

• Grand Studio — strong UX/product strategy shop with research, UX design, and prototyping capabilities.

Best for: products where user behavior and workflow design are the hard problems.

• EVE - User Experience Design Agency — boutique UX-focused partner that covers discovery, wireframes, prototypes, testing, and iteration.

Best for: a founder who already has technical resources but needs a strong UX lead.

Closer to Fulton Market / West Loop

• LUNAR — located near Fulton Market/West Loop and known for end-to-end product design, combining design, engineering, and prototyping.

Best for: ambitious products where industrial/product thinking matters.

• Primal Design — literally on Fulton St and works with founders and product leaders on bringing products to market. Primal Design

Best for: founder-led engagements where proximity and collaboration matter.

If you mainly need rapid clickable prototypes

• Idea Factory — positions itself around rapid prototypes, apps, websites, and product design. Idea Factory
• Wolfco — emphasizes user research, prototypes, usability testing, and iterative UX validation. Wolfco

My shortlist for an early-stage Fulton Market startup would probably be:

1. Highland — if you need product thinking + execution
2. Vault Innovation — if you need MVP velocity
3. Grand Studio — if UX discovery is the biggest uncertainty
4. Primal Design — if you want a nearby founder-friendly relationship

When you reach out, I’d avoid asking for “a website/app build.” Ask for a 2–4 week product sprint with deliverables like:

• user flows
• clickable Figma prototype
• usability tests/interviews
• prioritized MVP roadmap
• engineering-ready specs

That framing usually gets better agencies interested because it matches how early products actually evolve.

• Next Sketch - Chicago, IL 60642
• LaunchPad Lab - 448 N La Salle Dr Fl 9, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Highland - 125 S Clark St Ste 670, Chicago, IL 60603, United States
• TXI - 10 S Riverside Plaza Ste 875 - #7670, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Fuzzy Math - 811 W Evergreen Ave #305, Chicago, IL 60642, United States
• Eight Bit Studios - 1 E Erie St, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• TEAMS Design - 1812 W Hubbard St #200, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• Beyond Design, Inc. - 3759 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• Dom & Tom - 625 N Michigan Ave, Ste 1800, Chicago, IL 60611
• Grand Studio - 444 N Wells St #501, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Sandstorm Design - 4422 N Ravenswood Ave #50, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• CHOI Design Group - 852 N California Ave C1, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• IA Collaborative - 218 S Wabash Ave 9th Floor, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• SnapMobile - 440 N Wells St, Ste 205, Chicago, IL 60654
• EVE - User Experience Design Agency - 7135 N Merrimac Ave, Chicago, IL 60646, United States
• LUNAR - 1229 W Washington Blvd, Chicago, IL 60607, United States

Yes. For an early-stage startup in Fulton Market, I’d bias toward a small, senior product team that can go idea → clickable prototype → user test → iterate → build, rather than a big branding or enterprise UX shop.

My Chicago shortlist

• Next Sketch — Probably the most directly aligned with what you described. They position themselves around early-stage product experience, product strategy, rapid iteration, and prototyping. Good candidate if the immediate need is figuring out the product while building it.
• LaunchPad Lab — Strong if you want UX + actual software development under one roof. Their process includes discovery, UX/UI, research/usability work, and turning the product into something buildable. I'd consider them if you expect the prototype to transition fairly quickly into an MVP.
• Highland — More established, but unusually strong on rapid prototyping and iterative UX. They explicitly use design sprints, clickable prototypes, functional prototypes, and user feedback to refine products. Highland Solutions Highland Solutions
• TXI — Excellent if the product is technically complicated or has an AI/data-heavy component. They combine human-centered design, research, prototyping and engineering, though I'd expect them to be a somewhat heavier engagement than a tiny startup studio.
• Fuzzy Math — Worth talking to if your biggest uncertainty is UX/product strategy rather than coding. They're particularly strong at making complicated digital products understandable and usable.
• Eight Bit Studios — A good option if you're already fairly clear on the product and need a team that can design and ship the web/mobile product, with design and engineering working together.

The three I'd call first

1. Next Sketch — best fit for “we're still figuring it out and need to iterate very quickly.”

2. LaunchPad Lab — best fit for “we need prototype → MVP without handing it off to another vendor.”

3. Highland — best fit for “we want disciplined UX research/design sprints and rapid validation before committing engineering dollars.”

One other interesting option is Idea Factory: its Chicago operation explicitly advertises senior product design and rapid prototypes, with many prototypes delivered within 24 hours and startup-oriented monthly plans. I'd investigate it, but I'd scrutinize the portfolio and references more closely before choosing it for a core product engagement. Idea Factory

What I'd ask them for

Don't initially ask for a giant “UX project.” I'd pitch a 2–3 week product sprint:

1. Founder/product-team workshop
2. Clarify the highest-risk assumptions
3. Map the critical user journey
4. Produce a clickable Figma prototype
5. Test it with ~5 target users
6. Iterate
7. End with a prioritized MVP backlog + prototype your engineers can build from

That structure makes it much easier to compare agencies and prevents you from spending $30–100k on screens before you've learned whether the product actually works.

If you tell me what you're building (B2B SaaS, consumer, fintech, AI, marketplace, etc.) and roughly what you want to spend for the first 2–4 weeks, I can narrow this to 3 agencies and tell you what I'd expect each to charge and why I'd pick one over the others.

Don't initially ask for a giant “UX project.” I'd pitch a 2–3 week product sprint:

• LUNAR - 1229 W Washington Blvd, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Next Sketch - Chicago, IL 60642
• TXI - 10 S Riverside Plaza Ste 875 - #7670, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• LaunchPad Lab - 448 N La Salle Dr Fl 9, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Grand Studio - 444 N Wells St #501, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• IDEO Chicago - 626 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60661, United States
• Vault Innovation - 20 N Wacker Dr Ste 1200, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• TEAMS Design - 1812 W Hubbard St #200, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• EVE - User Experience Design Agency - 7135 N Merrimac Ave, Chicago, IL 60646, United States
• mHUB - 1623 W Fulton St, Chicago, IL 60612, United States
• IDE Interactive, Inc. - 2945 W Peterson Ave Ste 103, Chicago, IL 60659, United States
• LaunchPad Lab - 220 W Huron St, Ste 2001, Chicago, IL 60654
• Beyond Design, Inc. - 3759 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• Morrow Design - 1812 W Hubbard St #2, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• Dom & Tom - 625 N Michigan Ave, Ste 1800, Chicago, IL 60611

If the priority is “we’re early, need something clickable fast, and want an agency that will actually iterate with us”, I’d shortlist these first:

• LUNAR — best geographic fit. They’re right in West Loop/Fulton Market at 1229 W Washington and combine product design, UX, prototyping, and engineering. Good fit if you want one partner spanning UX → prototype → build.
• Next Sketch — best “small senior team” fit. Their positioning is explicitly early-stage product experience, UX/UI, rapid iteration, and prototyping; they’re also at 1623 W Fulton.
• TXI — best if this could become a serious software product. Strong product/UX + engineering capability, rather than a design-only shop. Probably more heavyweight than you need if you're just validating an idea.
• LaunchPad Lab — best design + development option. They do discovery, UX/UI, product strategy and engineering, so you don't have to hand a Figma prototype to another vendor afterward.
• Grand Studio — best for deeper UX/product strategy. Strong human-centered product work, research, MVP definition and UX/UI, although I'd expect them to be more process-heavy than a tiny startup studio.

One more worth talking to

Highland is particularly explicit about rapid prototyping: they use everything from sketches and wireframes to functional/low-code prototypes, usability testing and repeated feedback cycles. They also have substantial startup/product-development experience. Highland Solutions Highland Solutions

highlandsolutions.com

My ranking for your situation

If you're pre-seed/seed and optimizing for speed rather than a big consulting engagement, I'd contact them in this order:

1. Next Sketch — leanest-looking fit for rapid product iteration.
2. LUNAR — particularly compelling if being physically in Fulton Market matters.
3. LaunchPad Lab — if you want prototype → actual MVP with one team.
4. Highland — if you want a more structured design-sprint/user-testing process.
5. TXI — if the product is technically complex and you're already thinking beyond MVP.

I would not lead with a traditional branding agency. For what you're describing, you want a team that can sit with you Monday, turn an assumption into a Figma/functional prototype by Thursday, put it in front of users, and revise it the following week.

If you tell me what you're building (B2B SaaS, consumer, marketplace, AI, fintech, hardware, etc.) and roughly what you want to spend ($10–25k vs. $25–75k vs. $75k+), I can narrow this to 3 agencies and explain exactly why each is a fit.

1. Next Sketch — leanest-looking fit for rapid product iteration.
2. LUNAR — particularly compelling if being physically in Fulton Market matters.
3. LaunchPad Lab — if you want prototype → actual MVP with one team.
4. Highland — if you want a more structured design-sprint/user-testing process.
5. TXI — if the product is technically complex and you're already thinking beyond MVP.

I would not lead with a traditional branding agency. For what you're describing, you want a team that can sit with you Monday, turn an assumption into a Figma/functional prototype by Thursday, put it in front of users, and revise it the following week.

• Highland - 125 S Clark St Ste 670, Chicago, IL 60603, United States
• Grand Studio - 444 N Wells St #501, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Vault Innovation - 20 N Wacker Dr Ste 1200, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• IDE Interactive, Inc. - 2945 W Peterson Ave Ste 103, Chicago, IL 60659, United States
• EVE - User Experience Design Agency - 7135 N Merrimac Ave, Chicago, IL 60646, United States
• LUNAR - 1229 W Washington Blvd, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• MNML - 170 N Sangamon St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• TEAMS Design - 1812 W Hubbard St #200, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• Beyond Design, Inc. - 3759 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• CHOI Design Group - 852 N California Ave C1, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• product council - 5547 N Ravenswood Ave Unit 406, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• CHOi Design Group - 2501 W Washington Blvd, Ste 400, Chicago, IL 60612
• Beyond Design - 4515 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60640
• CUX Studio - 122 S Michigan Ave suit 1390, Chicago, IL 60603, United States
• UX 4Sight - 111 W Jackson Blvd Unit 1700, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• Cruver Design, LLC - 300 W Lake St Ste 103, Elmhurst, IL 60126, United States

For an early-stage startup in Fulton Market, I’d look for a product design partner, not a traditional branding/web agency. The sweet spot is a team that can go from customer flows → Figma prototype → usability tests → MVP specs → ongoing iteration without a lot of ceremony.

A shortlist I’d consider:

Best fits for an early-stage startup

• Highland — Probably one of the strongest fits for “we have an idea and need to rapidly shape it.” They do UX research, product strategy, UI/UX, rapid prototyping, and software delivery. Their process explicitly includes design sprints and testable prototypes. Highland Solutions Highland Solutions

Good for: SaaS, marketplaces, workflow tools, mobile/web products where you need product thinking + execution.

• Grand Studio — Strong UX/product strategy shop. Better if your challenge is figuring out what to build and creating a polished product experience before engineering.

Good for: complex products, B2B platforms, ambiguous early-stage problems.

• Vault Innovation — More build-oriented: UX/UI plus software development. A reasonable option if you want one partner to take a prototype into a working product.

Good for: MVPs where engineering support is part of the engagement.

• IDE Interactive, Inc. — A smaller digital product studio that combines design and development.

Good for: startups needing a hands-on team rather than a large consultancy.

• EVE - User Experience Design Agency — Boutique UX/UI-focused option for improving flows, designing products, and building a stronger internal design process.

Good for: teams that already have engineers but need product design horsepower.

Near Fulton Market / West Loop options

• LUNAR — Located in the West Loop/Fulton Market area and known for multidisciplinary product design, combining UX, engineering, and prototyping.

Good for: ambitious product innovation work (often a higher-end engagement).

• MNML — Fulton Market-adjacent design consultancy with broader product design capabilities, including digital UX alongside industrial/product work.

Good for: hardware + software, consumer products, brand/product experiences.

If I were a seed-stage founder, I’d probably start with:

1. Highland — if you need someone to help define and iterate the product.
2. Grand Studio — if UX strategy is the biggest uncertainty.
3. Vault Innovation or IDE Interactive — if you want prototype → MVP build.
4. A strong freelance product designer + fractional engineer — if you’re pre-product-market-fit and want maximum speed/cost efficiency.

When interviewing them, I’d ask:

• “Can you show me 2–3 products you took from zero to first prototype?”
• “How many user interviews/usability tests are included?”
• “Who actually does the work (senior designer vs. junior team)?”
• “Can you work in weekly Figma iterations with our founders?”
• “Do you stay involved after prototype to help with MVP build?”

For a very early startup, I’d avoid agencies that mostly sell polished websites or brand systems; you want someone comfortable killing ideas quickly and iterating. Highland Solutions Toimi

• Primal Design - 1623 W Fulton St, Chicago, IL 60612, United States
• Highland - 125 S Clark St Ste 670, Chicago, IL 60603, United States
• Next Sketch - Chicago, IL 60642
• MNML - 170 N Sangamon St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Design Integrity, Inc. - 1528 W Adams St Unit 1, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Beyond Design, Inc. - 3759 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• TEAMS Design - 1812 W Hubbard St #200, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• Dream to Product - 2224 Cleveland St, Evanston, IL 60202, United States
• product council - 5547 N Ravenswood Ave Unit 406, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Nemera Insight Chicago LLC - 4660 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• DeviceDD - 965 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60642, United States
• CHOI Design Group - 852 N California Ave C1, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• Hatch Product Development & Contract Manufacturing - 1200 Karl Ct, Wauconda, IL 60084, United States
• Beyond Design - 4515 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60640
• Clear Irons - 1811 W Cornelia Ave, Chicago, IL 60657, United States

Yes. If the brief is “we’re early-stage, want to prototype fast, test UX, and iterate with the founders”, I’d bias toward a small product-design team rather than a big traditional agency.

My Chicago shortlist

1. Primal Design — best if there’s a physical/hardware component

• Literally in Fulton Market at 1623 W Fulton.
• Strong founder/product-development orientation, with industrial design, engineering, prototyping and iteration under one roof. Primal Design
• My pick if your prototype touches the physical world.
• Highland — best for digital product / SaaS

• Probably the strongest fit if you're talking about web/mobile UX rather than industrial design.
• They explicitly offer rapid prototyping, design sprints, UX research, wireframes, clickable prototypes and iterative usability testing. Highland Solutions Highland Solutions
• They also do actual product development, so there's less of a “here's your Figma, good luck” handoff. Highland Solutions
• Next Sketch — worth talking to for very early product work

• Chicago-based and specifically positioned around early-stage product experience, UX/UI, rapid prototyping and iterative validation.
• This is the sort of positioning I'd look for if your biggest need is turning fuzzy ideas into things you can put in front of users quickly.
• MNML — stronger if product + physical experience matters

• Fulton Market-adjacent at 170 N Sangamon.
• Much more substantial product-design capability, including UX, engineering and prototyping.
• I'd consider them if you're building something consumer-facing where the physical and digital experiences need to feel like one product.
• Design Integrity, Inc. — good West Loop option for complex products

• On W Adams, so very convenient to Fulton Market.
• More engineering/product-development oriented, but they cover user-centered research, UI, ergonomics, prototyping and iterative development.

If it's a pure software startup

I'd start with Highland + Next Sketch, and potentially add a third agency that is especially startup-oriented. The key thing I'd ask them for isn't a conventional “UX engagement”; I'd propose a 2–3 week prototype sprint:

• Week 1: founder/product immersion + user interviews + core journey
• Week 2: 2–3 competing UX concepts → clickable prototype
• Week 3: 5–10 user tests → iterate → second prototype
• Deliverable: something you can actually put in front of customers/investors/engineers, plus a prioritized product backlog

That structure will tell you very quickly whether the agency is genuinely good at learning through design versus just producing polished screens.

If you tell me what you're building (B2B SaaS, consumer app, AI product, marketplace, hardware, etc.) and roughly what you want to spend, I can narrow this to the 3 agencies I'd actually interview and compare their likely fit, size, location, and engagement model.

Yes. For an early-stage startup in Fulton Market, I’d prioritize agencies that can work in short design/prototype loops rather than a traditional UX shop that spends weeks on research and produces a big handoff.

My Chicago shortlist

1. Next Sketch — probably the closest fit for what you described. They focus on early-stage product experience, product strategy, UX/UI, prototyping, and iterative validation. Their positioning is explicitly around moving quickly from concept → prototype → feedback → iteration.

2. Highland — the stronger choice if you want UX + product strategy + eventual engineering under one roof. They explicitly offer rapid prototyping and design sprints, and describe their process as turning concepts into testable products quickly. www.highlandsolutions.com

3. MNML — especially interesting if you're building something involving hardware, consumer products, or a physical/digital experience. They're right in Fulton Market at 170 N Sangamon and combine product design, UX, engineering and prototyping.

4. Primal Design — literally on W Fulton. I'd look at them if "prototype" means physical/hardware prototype rather than just clickable Figma. They do industrial design, engineering, functional mockups and rapid prototyping. www.primaldesign.com

5. TEAMS Design — more substantial/multidisciplinary. Good if you need research + UX + physical/digital prototyping, but potentially more agency than an extremely lean startup needs.

If this is a software startup

I'd start with Next Sketch + Highland, and possibly Axtiq as a third conversation. Axtiq is particularly startup-oriented: they sell two-week design sprints, with a published $3,000 starting price for a UX/UI sprint and a design+build option starting at $5,500. axtiq.com

The engagement I'd ask for is something like:

2-week product sprint → clickable prototype → 5–8 user tests → iteration → developer-ready Figma

rather than "redesign our UX." That forces the agency to optimize for learning velocity.

If you tell me what you're building (B2B SaaS, consumer app, AI product, hardware, etc.) and roughly your budget, I can narrow this to 3 agencies I'd actually interview, including who seems most likely to work well with a founder-led team.

• Highland - 125 S Clark St Ste 670, Chicago, IL 60603, United States
• UX 4Sight - 111 W Jackson Blvd Unit 1700, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• gravitytank - 114 W Illinois St, Fl 3, Chicago, IL 60654
• LUNAR - 1229 W Washington Blvd, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• IDEO Chicago - 626 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60661, United States
• TEAMS Design - 1812 W Hubbard St #200, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• Design Kitchen - 1140 W Fulton Market, Chicago, IL 60607
• Mondo - 125 S Wacker Dr Ste 2700, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Beyond Design, Inc. - 3759 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• MNML - 170 N Sangamon St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Cruver Design, LLC - 300 W Lake St Ste 103, Elmhurst, IL 60126, United States
• product council - 5547 N Ravenswood Ave Unit 406, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Morrow Design - 1812 W Hubbard St #2, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• Beyond Design - 4515 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60640
• Highland - 141 W Jackson Blvd, Ste 2200, Chicago, IL 60604

If the priority is “get a prototype in users’ hands quickly, learn, and iterate”, I’d shortlist these rather than defaulting to a big general-purpose agency:

1. Highland — best overall fit - Chicago-based, with a strong product/UX + engineering combination.
2. Explicitly does rapid prototyping, design sprints, UX research, usability testing, and iterative product design. Highland Solutions Highland Solutions
3. Good choice if you want the same partner to take a prototype into an MVP rather than hand you Figma files.
4. My first call for an early-stage startup that expects requirements to change.

1. UX 4Sight — best if UX iteration is the core need - More UX-focused: audits, research, usability testing, UI/UX and validation.
2. I'd consider them if you already have engineering covered and mainly need a product designer/research partner who can repeatedly test and improve flows.

1. gravitytank — best for ambiguous/0→1 problems - Long-established Chicago design/innovation consultancy with research, strategy, interaction design, product design and prototyping capabilities. LinkedIn
2. Stronger fit if you're still figuring out what the product should be, rather than simply needing screens built quickly.
3. Potential downside for an early startup: likely more consultancy-oriented than a small embedded product-design team.

1. LUNAR — interesting if it's hardware + software - West Loop/Fulton Market-area presence and combines product design, UX, engineering and prototyping.
2. Particularly worth a look for connected/physical products rather than a pure SaaS MVP.

1. IDEO Chicago — premium option - Excellent for human-centered product/service design and prototyping, but I'd only put them into the process if you have a meaningful budget and a genuinely difficult product/design problem.

One I'd investigate specifically for startup speed

Rubik.design is worth an exploratory call even though it's not physically in Fulton Market. They explicitly target Chicago startups, advertise interactive MVP prototypes, UX/UI, Figma/Framer, rapid iteration, and claim 24–48-hour onboarding with 6–8 week MVP work. Rubik

How I'd approach the search

For an early-stage company, I wouldn't issue an RFP for “UX/UI design.” I'd give each agency the same 1–2 week prototype challenge:

We have [product concept], [target user], and [known problem]. We want to turn the riskiest workflow into a clickable prototype, test it with 5–8 users, and iterate based on what we learn.

Then ask them to show:

• who exactly will do the work (not just the agency logo)
• prototype → user test → iteration cadence
• how many design iterations are included
• whether they can recruit users
• whether a senior designer is actually hands-on
• what happens after the prototype
• fixed price for the first sprint, rather than a huge open-ended engagement

If it were my startup, I'd talk to Highland, UX 4Sight, and Rubik first. Highland if you want design + engineering, UX 4Sight if you already have engineering, and Rubik if raw iteration speed/budget efficiency is the overriding concern.

If you tell me what you're building (B2B SaaS, consumer app, AI product, marketplace, hardware, etc.) and roughly what you want to spend on the first 4–6 weeks, I can narrow this to 3 agencies and compare their likely fit.

Yes. For an early-stage startup in Fulton Market, I’d bias toward a small senior product team that can go from “rough idea → clickable prototype → user feedback → revised prototype” in days/weeks, rather than a big UX consultancy that wants a 3-month discovery phase.

My Chicago shortlist

1. Highland — strongest overall fit
   • Chicago-based and explicitly does rapid prototyping, design sprints, UX research, UI/UX, product strategy, and digital product development.
   • Their prototyping approach is specifically about making something testable, getting it in front of users, and iterating. www.highlandsolutions.comwww.highlandsolutions.com
   • Good choice if you want the agency to eventually help build, not just design.

2. TXI — best if this could become a serious product
   • Chicago-headquartered product consultancy combining strategy + UX/product design + engineering.
   • I'd consider them if you need someone to help you figure out what to build as much as how it should look.
   • Probably a little heavier-weight than necessary if you're literally just trying to validate an idea.

3. Primal Design — particularly interesting for Fulton Market
   • They're actually at 1623 W. Fulton St., so extremely close to you.
   • Their model is founder/product-leader oriented and emphasizes a customized product-development process rather than a rigid agency workflow. www.primaldesign.com
   • Primal Design

4. LaunchPad Lab — good design + build option
   • River North digital product studio doing discovery, UX/UI, research/usability, product roadmapping and software development.
   • I'd put them on the list if your prototype is likely to turn into an actual web/mobile product fairly quickly.

5. Rubik.design — interesting if you primarily need fast UX/UI + high-fidelity prototypes
   • They specifically target startups, advertise 6–8 week MVP design, interactive prototypes, Figma/Framer and rapid iteration.
   • Their site explicitly lists Fulton Market among the Chicago neighborhoods they serve. www.rubik.design
   • I'd vet them more heavily on actual shipped-product references before choosing them over Highland/TXI.

6. Grand Studio — best for figuring out the experience
   • Stronger on research, product/service strategy and human-centered UX than simply cranking out screens.
   • I'd consider them if the problem is still somewhat fuzzy and you need help determining the right workflow/product before prototyping.

If it were my startup

I'd take 3 calls first: Highland, Primal, and TXI.

I'd give all three exactly the same brief:

“We're early-stage, we don't want a giant strategy engagement. We need to turn our current concept into a testable prototype, put it in front of 5–10 target users, learn what's wrong, and iterate rapidly. We'd like a senior product designer working directly with the founders, ideally in short weekly cycles.”

Then ask them:

• How quickly can we get to the first clickable prototype?
• Who actually does the work—the partner/senior designer or junior team?
• Can we change direction mid-sprint without change-order hell?
• Do you conduct actual user testing, or just stakeholder reviews?
• Can you go from Figma prototype → functional MVP?
• Can we work directly in Slack/Figma with the designers?
• What's the smallest engagement you'd recommend?
• Show me 2–3 examples of products you helped take from ambiguous idea → prototype → iteration.

One particularly relevant signal: Highland says its rapid-prototyping work can range from sketches and wireframes through clickable and low-code functional prototypes, with user feedback continuously incorporated. That's very close to the workflow you're describing. www.highlandsolutions.comwww.highlandsolutions.com

If you tell me what you're building (B2B SaaS, consumer app, marketplace, AI product, fintech, physical/digital, etc.) and roughly what budget you have ($10–25k, $25–50k, $50k+), I can narrow this to 3 agencies that are genuinely appropriate, including smaller Chicago shops that may be a better early-stage fit than the names above.

Yes. For an early-stage startup in Fulton Market, I’d bias toward a small product-design partner that can sit with you, prototype in Figma/low-code, test assumptions, and iterate weekly—not a big agency that wants a 3-month discovery phase.

My Chicago shortlist

1. Primal Design — best if you want someone literally in Fulton Market
   • 1623 W Fulton St.
   • Very hands-on, founder-oriented, and explicitly works from early concepts through prototyping.
   • Stronger fit if your product has a physical/hardware component; less compelling if you're purely SaaS. www.primaldesign.com
   • Primal Design

2. Highland — best overall for UX + rapid validation
   • Chicago-based product consultancy with explicit rapid prototyping, design sprints, UX research, usability testing and iterative UX/UI capabilities.
   • Their process is specifically oriented around building just enough prototype to learn, then iterating based on user behavior. www.highlandsolutions.com
   • Probably my first call if you need product thinking + UX + prototype, rather than just pretty screens.

3. TXI — best if you may want them to build as well
   • Product strategy + UX research/design + engineering under one roof.
   • Good option if the prototype needs to evolve into an actual MVP without a painful agency handoff.
   • I'd expect them to be more substantial/expensive than a boutique design shop.

4. LaunchPad Lab — good startup/product-build option
   • Chicago product studio combining discovery, UX/UI, user research and software development.
   • Particularly attractive if your question is really “can you help us figure out what to build, prototype it, and then build the first version?”

5. Eight Bit Studios — good design + engineering alternative
   • Chicago product studio focused on planning, designing and shipping web/mobile products.
   • Their design work is integrated with engineering rather than being a standalone handoff, which is useful for rapid iteration.

6. UX Brite — worth considering for a leaner engagement
   • Chicago-based UX/product/MVP shop.
   • More explicitly oriented toward startups, MVPs, UX and go-to-market than some of the larger consultancies.

One more I'd put on the interview list

Wolfco looks particularly aligned with what you're describing: lightweight interactive prototypes before investing in polished UI, followed by usability testing and iteration. That's exactly the workflow I'd want at an early-stage company. www.wolfco.us

Wolfco

How I'd narrow it

And MNML is actually right in Fulton Market at 170 N Sangamon if you're doing a physical/digital product; their work spans product design, UX, engineering and prototyping. MNML

My top 3 to interview first: Highland, Wolfco, and Primal if you want a design-heavy partner; TXI instead of Primal if this is purely software and you expect the agency to eventually build the product.

One thing I'd insist on in the first call: “We don't want a giant UX strategy engagement. We want to spend 1–2 weeks understanding the problem, get something clickable in users' hands, learn, and iterate. Can you work that way?” Their answer will tell you a lot.

Yes. For an early-stage startup that wants to prototype fast, test UX, and iterate without a giant agency process, I’d shortlist these Chicago firms:

1. Rocket Wagon — best overall fit
   • 600 W Fulton St, right in Fulton Market.
   • Does UX/product design and software development, so you can go from concept → prototype → working product without a handoff.
   • Particularly attractive if you want the agency to challenge the product, not just make Figma screens.

2. Highland — strongest UX/validation process
   • Chicago-based product design + development firm.
   • Explicitly offers rapid prototyping, design sprints, UX research, usability testing and iterative product design. They say their design sprints can produce/test prototypes in days. www.highlandsolutions.com
   • More established/larger than what I'd normally pick for a very early startup, but excellent if you need rigorous product discovery.

3. Next Sketch — interesting smaller/early-stage option
   • Chicago-based and specifically oriented toward early-stage product experience, product strategy, UX/UI, prototyping and rapid iteration.
   • I'd talk to them if you want a more hands-on design partner rather than a traditional software agency.

4. TXI — best if the product is technically complicated
   • Chicago-headquartered product consultancy combining research, UX, prototyping and engineering.
   • Stronger choice if you're building something involving data, AI, IoT, complex workflows, etc.

5. Eight Bit Studios — good startup/MVP orientation
   • Product studio doing strategy + UI/UX + engineering.
   • Their positioning is particularly geared toward founders/non-technical teams getting from concept to MVP and beyond.

One I'd especially investigate

Primal Design is literally at 1623 W Fulton St and works directly with founders/product leaders. However, they're much more oriented toward physical/hardware products than pure SaaS. If you're building something involving hardware, this jumps way up the list. www.primaldesign.com

My ranking for your use case

If I were you, I'd take first calls with Rocket Wagon, Next Sketch, and Highland. I'd frame the engagement as a 2–3 week product/UX sprint, rather than asking for a conventional “MVP build.” You want them to prove they can repeatedly do:

hypothesis → prototype → 3–5 user tests → design change → prototype again

before committing to a big development budget.

If you tell me what you're building (B2B SaaS, consumer app, marketplace, AI product, hardware, etc.) and roughly your budget, I can narrow this to the 3 agencies I'd actually contact, including who is likely to be too expensive/too slow.

For an early-stage startup in Fulton Market, I’d look for a partner that behaves more like an embedded product team than a traditional agency: senior UX/product designer(s), fast Figma prototyping, user testing, and willingness to change direction weekly.

A few Chicago options worth talking to:

Best fit for early-stage MVPs / rapid iteration

Highland Solutions — strong if you need both UX and product thinking

• Good for: turning a fuzzy idea into flows, prototypes, MVP scope, and eventually a build plan.
• They explicitly do rapid prototyping, design sprints, UX research, and iterative product design. www.highlandsolutions.com
• More consultancy/product partner than “make us pretty screens.”

Primal Design — very close to Fulton Market

• Located at 1623 W Fulton St. www.primaldesign.com
• Good fit if you want a hands-on design partner for a new product, especially if there’s a physical/digital product angle.
• Their positioning is founder/product-leader oriented rather than pure marketing design. www.primaldesign.com

Vault Innovation — better if you want design + engineering under one roof

• Good for: prototype → working MVP.
• Their services include UX/UI, prototypes, and digital product development.

More design-led / UX-heavy

Grand Studio

• Good for complex products where you need discovery, user research, service design, and UX strategy before building.
• They focus on human-centered digital product experiences.

Wolfco

• Good boutique option for UX research, prototypes, usability testing, and iterative design. www.wolfco.us

Next Sketch

• Smaller/founder-friendly option focused on early-stage product experience, prototyping, and iteration.

If I were an early-stage founder, I’d shortlist:

1. Highland — if you’re still figuring out the product and need a thinking partner.
2. Vault Innovation — if you want to get something usable built quickly.
3. Primal — if being physically close in Fulton Market and working tightly matters.
4. Grand Studio — if the UX problem is complex and strategic.

For your first call, I’d ask:

• “Can you put a senior product designer on this weekly?”
• “How fast can we get from idea → clickable prototype?”
• “Do you run user tests with prototypes?”
• “Can you stay involved through MVP build, or do you hand off after Figma?”
• “Who will actually do the work?”

For a very early startup, I’d avoid agencies that mainly sell brand sites or large fixed discovery projects—you want a partner comfortable killing ideas and iterating fast.

Yes. If you’re early-stage, based in Fulton Market, and want a partner that can prototype → put it in front of users → iterate UX quickly, I’d shortlist these rather than going after a big generic digital agency:

1. Primal Design — strongest Fulton Market fit if there’s a physical/hardware component
   • Literally at 1623 W Fulton St.
   • Founder/product-leader oriented, with design + engineering + prototyping under one roof.
   • Their work is more physical-product focused, so I’d only put them first if your product has hardware or a physical interaction. www.primaldesign.com

2. Highland — strongest pure digital product option
   • Chicago-based product/design consultancy.
   • Specifically offers UX research, rapid prototyping, design sprints, usability testing and iterative UX, followed by actual software development.
   • Their stated process is explicitly designed around repeatedly testing and refining prototypes rather than throwing a finished design over the wall. www.highlandsolutions.com
   • Probably my first call if you're building SaaS/web/mobile and have some budget.

3. Rubik.design — interesting if you want a very fast, lightweight startup engagement
   • Positions itself specifically around Chicago startups and claims 6–8 week MVPs, interactive prototypes, and rapid iteration.
   • Their model is a dedicated monthly design team rather than a traditional large agency engagement. www.rubik.design
   • I'd vet portfolio quality carefully, but the operating model sounds well aligned with what you're asking for.

4. Concept Studio — best fit if you're still figuring out what the product should be
   • Explicitly works with startups on discovery → UX prototyping → usability validation → MVP.
   • Their prototype sprint is advertised at 2–4 weeks, with the emphasis on testing flows rather than merely producing pretty Figma screens. www.conceptstudioagency.com
   • This would be high on my list if your product direction is still fluid.

5. Next Sketch — worth talking to for an early product
   • Chicago-based and focused on early-stage product experience, strategy, UX/UI, prototyping and ongoing iteration.
   • Smaller-specialist feel could be useful if you don't want the overhead of a larger consultancy.

6. LUNAR — high-end option
   • Has a West Loop/Fulton Market presence and combines product design, UX, engineering and prototyping.
   • However, given its relationship with McKinsey, I'd expect a substantially more heavyweight engagement than you may need at the very early stage.

My ranking for your situation

If it were my startup, I'd take three calls: Highland, Concept Studio, and Next Sketch. I'd ask each for a 2–3 week paid prototype sprint, not a giant discovery engagement. The deliverable should be something like: core user journey → clickable prototype → 5–8 user tests → prioritized UX changes → revised prototype → technical MVP recommendation.

That structure lets you see very quickly whether the agency actually thinks with you or just produces Figma screens.

If you tell me what you're building (B2B SaaS, consumer app, AI product, marketplace, hardware, etc.) and rough budget ($10–25k / $25–50k / $50k+), I can narrow this to 3 Chicago agencies I'd actually contact, including their relevant startup work and official sites.

Yes. For an early-stage startup in Fulton Market, I’d bias toward a small, senior product-design partner that can sit with you, prototype in Figma quickly, test ideas, and iterate—not a big “digital transformation” agency.

My Chicago shortlist

1. TXI — best overall if you want product thinking + UX + eventual engineering
   • Chicago-based product strategy/design/engineering firm.
   • Strong human-centered design, discovery, prototyping, usability testing, and lean UX.
   • Better fit if you expect the agency to eventually help build the product, not just design screens.

2. Highland — best for structured rapid experimentation
   • Explicitly offers rapid prototyping, design sprints, UX research, UI/UX and product strategy.
   • Their prototyping approach emphasizes getting something testable in front of customers and iterating from actual behavior. www.highlandsolutions.com
   • More established than a typical startup boutique, so I'd ask specifically for their smallest/senior team.

3. IDEO Chicago — best if the problem itself is still fuzzy
   • Strongest choice if you're still figuring out the product, customer journey, or business model rather than simply needing UI.
   • Their Chicago studio does research, product/service design and iterative prototyping.
   • Likely the most expensive/structured option on this list.

4. UX 4Sight — best if UX is the immediate bottleneck
   • Chicago UX/UI specialist with UX audits, research, usability testing and design validation.
   • I'd consider them if you already know what you're building but need to make the experience substantially better and iterate rapidly.

5. Primal Design — particularly interesting because they're actually in Fulton Market
   • Their studio is at 1623 W. Fulton St.
   • They work directly with founders and product leaders and describe a flexible, hands-on product-development process rather than a rigid agency methodology. www.primaldesign.com
   • I'd put them high on the list if being able to work together in person matters.

6. ArtVersion® Creative Agency — better if brand + UX + web are intertwined
   • Chicago agency combining UX research/design, visual design, branding and development.
   • Less narrowly “startup product studio,” but useful if your prototype also needs to establish the company's visual identity.

One I'd look at if you want very fast iteration

Rubik.design specifically markets a senior-level, flexible design-team model for Chicago startups, with interactive prototypes and rapid iteration; it says it can typically start within 24–48 hours and targets 6–8 week MVPs. www.rubik.design

I would interview them alongside Primal and Highland, rather than assuming the bigger firms are better.

What I'd ask for

Don't ask agencies for a generic “UX engagement.” Give them a very concrete first phase:

2-week product sprint → user flows → clickable prototype → 5–8 user tests → prioritized UX changes → prototype v2

Then ask:

• Who will actually do the work? Can we meet the senior designer?
• Can we work together 2–3 times per week, rather than weekly status meetings?
• How quickly can they turn around a UX change?
• Do they conduct actual user interviews/testing, or just produce designs?
• Can they prototype something that feels like the real product, rather than static screens?
• Can they stay on for another 4–6 weeks of iteration?
• What's the smallest engagement they'd take on?

For an early-stage company, I'd avoid signing a big redesign/build contract initially. Buy a short sprint and see whether the team has the speed and product judgment you're looking for.

If I were making the first three calls: Primal (especially given your Fulton Market location), TXI, and Highland. If you're extremely prototype/iteration-oriented and want a lighter-weight engagement, add Rubik.

Yes. For an early-stage startup in Fulton Market, I’d bias toward a small product/design partner that can sit close to the founders, prototype in Figma (or working software), test with users, and iterate weekly—not a big branding agency.

My Chicago shortlist

1. Highland — strongest overall fit
   • Chicago-based digital product consultancy.
   • Explicitly offers UX research, UI/UX, rapid prototyping, design sprints, and product strategy, plus the ability to build the product afterward. www.highlandsolutions.com
   • Good choice if you want prototype → validate → build without handing the work between separate firms.
   • More established/structured than a tiny studio, so I'd ask specifically for their startup team and senior design involvement.

2. Primal Design — particularly interesting if you're building hardware
   • Literally on W. Fulton St.
   • Founder/product-leader oriented, with design, engineering and prototyping under one roof. www.primaldesign.com
   • I'd put this near the top if your "UX" includes a physical product, device, or hardware/software interaction.

3. LaunchPad Lab — good if you want prototype + actual software
   • Chicago digital product shop doing discovery, UX/UI, user research and development.
   • Better fit if the goal is to get from idea → clickable prototype → functioning MVP rather than just polished UX.

4. Next Sketch — worth talking to for a leaner engagement
   • Small Chicago consultancy focused on early-stage product experience, product strategy and rapid iteration, with explicit UX/UI and prototyping capabilities.
   • This is the type I'd investigate if you want a senior, founder-friendly boutique rather than a large agency.

5. Vault Innovation — good design-to-development bridge
   • Chicago-based software/product agency serving founders and smaller teams.
   • Offers product discovery, UX/UI, wireframes and prototypes alongside development.

6. Rubik.design — interesting if speed is the overriding priority
   • Their Chicago offering is explicitly aimed at startups, with a dedicated design team, Figma/Framer, rapid iteration and claimed 6–8 week MVP timelines. www.rubik.design
   • I'd vet the actual senior people and portfolio carefully before committing; their positioning is much more "speed/MVP design subscription" than traditional product consultancy.

Who I'd call first

For your specific description, I'd probably take three intro calls:

Highland → Next Sketch → LaunchPad Lab

And I'd frame the engagement as:

"We're not looking for a conventional agency to disappear for six weeks and return with designs. We want a senior product/UX team that can work alongside the founders, prototype rapidly, put concepts in front of users, and iterate based on what we learn."

That's an important distinction. You want them comfortable with unfinished thinking and changing requirements, not just executing a requirements document.

I'd also ask each one to price a 2–3 week paid discovery/prototype sprint rather than asking for a giant project proposal. The output should ideally be: prioritized user problems, core flows, clickable prototype, a few rounds of user feedback, and a clear recommendation about what not to build.

If you tell me what the startup is building (B2B SaaS, consumer app, fintech, AI, hardware, etc.) and roughly what stage you're at, I can narrow this to the 3 best Chicago firms and compare their likely fit, size, location, and engagement model.

Yes. For an early-stage startup in Fulton Market, I’d bias toward a small product/design team that can sit with you, prototype in Figma (or functional/no-code), test, and iterate—not a big branding or enterprise UX shop.

My Chicago shortlist

1. Rocket Wagon — strongest geographic/product fit
   • Literally in Fulton Market at 600 W Fulton.
   • Combines UX/UI, product strategy, and engineering, so you can go from rough concept → prototype → build without a big agency handoff.
   • Particularly interesting if the prototype needs to become a real MVP quickly. www.bolderapps.com

2. Highland — strongest for structured UX iteration
   • Chicago product/design + development firm with a long track record.
   • Explicitly offers rapid prototyping, UX research, usability testing, wireframes, clickable prototypes, and iterative design. www.highlandsolutions.com
   • Probably a better fit if you want someone to help figure out what to build, not merely make the UI pretty.

3. LaunchPad Lab — good design + engineering partner
   • Chicago product-development shop covering discovery, UX/UI, product strategy and engineering.
   • I'd consider them if you expect the agency to stay involved beyond the prototype into MVP development.

4. Primal Design — worth talking to for founder-led product work
   • Located at 1623 W Fulton St, so very convenient to your neighborhood.
   • They explicitly work with founders and describe a flexible product-development process rather than a rigid agency methodology. www.primaldesign.com

5. Grand Studio — strongest if the problem is still fuzzy
   • More strategy/design-consultancy oriented.
   • Good candidate when you're still figuring out the user problem, workflows, service model, and product direction before committing to an MVP.

6. Rubik.design — interesting if you want speed above all
   • Their Chicago offering is specifically aimed at startups: dedicated design team, interactive prototypes, Figma/Framer, and frequent iteration.
   • They advertise 1–2 business-day updates and typical MVP work in the 6–8 week range. I'd scrutinize their actual portfolio and team before choosing them, but the operating model sounds very aligned with what you're describing. www.rubik.design

If I were you

I'd take 3 intro calls first: Rocket Wagon, Primal, and Highland.

I'd give all three exactly the same brief:

“We're an early-stage startup in Fulton Market. We have [rough concept/current product], and we're looking for a partner who can help us rapidly prototype core workflows, put them in front of users, iterate UX, and potentially carry the prototype into an MVP. We care much more about speed of learning than producing a giant design-system deliverable.”

Then ask:

• Can you get from kickoff to a clickable prototype in 1–2 weeks?
• Who exactly will be doing the work—not who sells the engagement?
• Can we change direction mid-sprint without restarting the project?
• Do you run actual user testing, or just stakeholder reviews?
• Can the same team take a validated prototype into production?
• What's the smallest engagement you'd recommend before committing to a larger build?

One important distinction: if your product is already pretty well defined, I'd favor Rocket Wagon / Primal. If you're still asking “what exactly should this product be?”, I'd lean Highland / Grand Studio.

If you tell me what you're building (B2B SaaS, consumer app, marketplace, AI product, etc.) and roughly what you want to spend, I can narrow this to 3–5 agencies that are particularly suited to your situation.

Yes. For an early-stage startup that wants to prototype quickly and iterate UX, I’d focus less on traditional branding agencies and more on product-design shops that can sit with you, prototype in Figma, test with users, and turn changes around quickly.

My Chicago shortlist

1. Highland — strongest overall fit
   • Chicago-based, with 25+ years in product design/development.
   • Explicitly offers UX research, rapid prototyping, design sprints, and product development.
   • Their process is designed around repeated customer-feedback loops rather than handing you a static design. www.highlandsolutions.com
   • Best if: you want an agency that can take you from fuzzy concept → prototype → validated MVP → engineering.
   • Caveat: probably more substantial/expensive than a tiny startup needs.

2. Wolfco — best for tight design ↔ engineering iteration
   • Chicago-based digital product agency combining product strategy, UX/UI, prototyping, usability testing and software development.
   • They specifically describe using lightweight interactive prototypes, usability testing and frequent iteration to validate ideas before committing to development. www.wolfco.uswww.wolfco.us
   • Best if: you don't just need UX—you want the same team capable of building the product after the prototype.
   • They're based in Wheaton rather than Fulton Market, but work with Chicago clients. www.highlandsolutions.comwww.wolfco.uswww.wolfco.uswww.wolfco.us

3. BIT Studios — best if speed + actual software build matter
   • Their Chicago offering is explicitly UX + rapid prototyping.
   • They build clickable/semi-functional prototypes, incorporate feedback early, and develop in increments so the client can see and change things continuously. www.bitstudios.com
   • Best if: you're looking for more of a product-development partner than a pure UX consultancy.

4. Primal Design — interesting if there's a hardware/physical-product component
   • They're actually on Fulton Street at 1623 W. Fulton.
   • Their model is very hands-on and founder-oriented, taking products from concept through design, engineering and prototyping. www.primaldesign.com
   • Best if: "prototype" includes hardware, physical interfaces, or something beyond a web/mobile product.
   • For a pure SaaS/app UX engagement, I'd choose one of the three above.

5. Wolfco's prototyping practice is worth a particularly close look if your main question is "are we building the right thing?" They emphasize testing hypotheses with lightweight prototypes and pivoting often rather than polishing screens prematurely. www.wolfco.uswww.wolfco.us

What I'd do in your shoes

I'd interview Highland, Wolfco, and BIT Studios and give all three exactly the same brief:

"We're an early-stage startup in Fulton Market. We have [idea/current product] and need a partner for a 3–6 week sprint to clarify the UX, build a high-fidelity prototype, put it in front of users, iterate rapidly, and leave us with a validated product direction."

Then ask:

• Who exactly will do the work? Get the names of the designer/product lead, not just the agency.
• Can we work weekly or even daily, rather than milestone → handoff?
• How quickly can you go from rough idea → clickable prototype?
• Do you conduct the user interviews/testing yourselves?
• Can we change direction mid-sprint without triggering a new SOW?
• What does a typical 3–4 week engagement cost?
• Can the resulting Figma/design system be handed to our eventual internal engineering team?
• Can you show me 2–3 examples where the agency changed the product based on user feedback, rather than just showing pretty final screens?

My ranking for your specific description:
Wolfco ≈ Highland > BIT Studios for a digital startup. I'd lean Wolfco if rapid product/UX iteration is the priority; Highland if you want a more comprehensive product-development partner.

If you tell me what the startup is building (B2B SaaS, consumer app, AI product, marketplace, fintech, etc.) and roughly what you're willing to spend ($10–25k vs. $25–75k vs. $75k+), I can narrow this to 3 agencies that are much more likely to be a fit.

Yes. For an early-stage startup in Fulton Market, I’d bias toward a small senior product-design team that can sit close to you, prototype in Figma, test with users, and change direction without turning every iteration into a new SOW.

My Chicago shortlist

1. TXI — strongest overall fit
   • Strategy + UX research + product design + engineering.
   • Their process explicitly includes prototyping, usability testing and lean UX.
   • Better fit if you want someone who can eventually help build, not just hand you designs. www.wolfco.us
   • Caveat: likely more substantial/expensive than a tiny startup studio.

2. Highland — best for rapid UX experimentation
   • Particularly strong match to what you described: rapid prototyping, design sprints, UX research, wireframes, clickable prototypes and iterative testing.
   • They explicitly describe a "build to learn" approach rather than designing everything upfront. www.highlandsolutions.com
   • Caveat: established consultancy, so I'd make sure the proposed team is senior and startup-oriented.

3. Grand Studio — strong product/UX thinking
   • Chicago-based and focused on human-centered product/service design.
   • I'd consider them if the problem itself is still somewhat fuzzy and you need help figuring out what to build, not merely making screens prettier.

4. Eight Bit Studios — good if prototype → MVP is the path
   • Product studio combining strategy, UX/UI and engineering.
   • Particularly interesting if you want the agency to prototype something and then continue into a real web/mobile MVP without a design/development handoff.

5. Primal Design — especially worth a conversation given your location
   • This one is actually in Fulton Market/West Loop, at 1623 W Fulton St.
   • They work directly with founders and describe a flexible product-development process rather than a rigid agency methodology. www.primaldesign.com
   • I'd put them high on the list if in-person working sessions matter.

6. IDE Interactive — boutique-ish product/design + development option
   • Chicago experience-design and development shop spanning UX, websites, custom software and mobile.
   • Worth talking to if you want a relatively integrated design/build relationship.

One I'd investigate carefully

Rubik.design is almost exactly positioning itself around the problem you're describing: Chicago startups, interactive MVP prototypes, Figma/Framer, rapid iteration and a monthly design-team model. It claims 48-hour average turnaround and 24–48-hour project starts. www.rubik.design

I would validate those claims through references, though—the site is very sales-oriented. If you're trying to move extremely fast with a small budget, the model could nevertheless be interesting.

How I'd narrow it down

For an early-stage company, I'd interview 3 agencies, not 10:

If I were you, I'd start with Primal + Highland + Eight Bit. That gives you three meaningfully different agency models: local product-design partner, UX/prototyping consultancy, and integrated product studio.

The key question I'd ask all three is:

"We don't want a 6-week discovery phase followed by a giant design deliverable. We want to work together for 2–3 weeks, get a prototype in users' hands, learn, change it, and repeat. Can you structure the engagement around that—and who exactly will be doing the work day-to-day?"

That question will eliminate a lot of traditional agencies very quickly.

Yes. For an early-stage startup in Fulton Market, I’d bias toward a small senior product team that can go from rough concept → clickable prototype → user testing → iteration without turning it into a six-month agency engagement.

My Chicago shortlist

1. LUNAR — closest geographic fit / high-end option

They’re right in West Loop/Fulton Market and combine product design, UX and engineering. Good if you want a partner who can eventually take the prototype toward a real product, although they may be more substantial than you need at very early stage.

2. Next Sketch — my first call for early-stage iteration

Small Chicago consultancy explicitly focused on early-stage product experience, product strategy, UX/UI, prototyping and rapid iteration. This is the profile I'd prioritize if you want close founder-level collaboration rather than a big agency process.

3. TXI — best for product discovery + UX + engineering

Strong choice if the problem is still somewhat fuzzy. They combine user research, discovery, prototyping, design and engineering rather than treating UX as a deliverable handed over to developers.

4. LaunchPad Lab — good if you want prototype → MVP

More engineering-oriented. Their offering combines product discovery, UX/UI and software development, so they're worth considering if you already know you want the agency to build the first real version.

5. Vault Innovation — good middle ground

Chicago-based product/design shop with UX-focused discovery, wireframes, prototypes and implementation. I'd put them on the RFP list if you want a partner that can stay involved beyond the prototype.

6. UX 4Sight — UX-heavy option

Particularly worth considering if your biggest uncertainty is how the product should work, rather than the engineering. They emphasize UX research, usability testing, UX/UI and validation.

One particularly interesting option

Highland isn't in Fulton Market, but their offering is almost exactly what you described: rapid prototypes, user testing, iterative UX, wireframes through functional/low-code prototypes, and close design/development collaboration. They explicitly describe a “build to learn” approach rather than producing a static design handoff. www.highlandsolutions.com

Highland's rapid prototyping practice

How I'd narrow it

I would not start with a traditional branding/web agency. For your stage, I'd ask each firm for a 2–4 week paid discovery/prototyping sprint, not a giant project proposal.

The brief I'd give them is essentially: “We have an early product concept. We need to rapidly explore the core user journey, prototype it at high fidelity, put it in front of 5–10 users, and iterate. We want senior designers working directly with the founders, with minimal process overhead.”

If you tell me what the startup actually does (B2B SaaS, consumer, fintech, marketplace, AI, physical product, etc.) and roughly what you're willing to spend ($10–25k vs. $25–75k+), I can narrow this to the 3 I'd interview first and pull their relevant startup case studies.