Neutral mentions of Solid Digital

For a rapid UX audit + UI refresh of a marketing site, I’d look for a studio that can move quickly without turning this into a 4–6 month “digital transformation” engagement.

A few Chicago options that look particularly relevant:

• UX 4Sight — Probably the closest match if the priority is actual UX audit work first, then UI improvements. They explicitly offer UX audits, usability testing, research, responsive web design, and design validation. Their Chicago office is in the Loop. clutch.cotoimi.pro
• Solid Digital — Good fit if this is a B2B marketing site and you want UX/design tied closely to conversion, content, SEO, and eventual implementation. Their Chicago team does UX/UI, web design/development, and digital marketing. clutch.cotoimi.pro
• ArtVersion® Creative Agency — Worth talking to if the refresh needs a stronger visual/brand layer in addition to usability. They combine UX/UI, brand strategy, research, and web development.
• Sandstorm Design — More research-heavy. Their offering includes UX research, usability testing, information architecture, accessibility, and visual design. I'd consider them if you want the audit to be genuinely evidence-based rather than just a designer's heuristic review. clutch.co
• Clique Studios — A broader option if you anticipate the audit turning into a larger website redesign/rebuild. They cover strategy, UX, content, design, engineering, and marketing.
• IDE Interactive, Inc. — Interesting if the marketing site has non-trivial technical/integration requirements and you want the same team capable of carrying design through development.

For your specific brief

I'd shortlist UX 4Sight, Solid Digital, and ArtVersion for initial conversations.

The distinction I'd make:

There are also some smaller/faster options worth considering. Toimi explicitly advertises a “quick start” format with a UX audit and recommendations in 1–2 weeks, followed by fast screen/logic adjustments. toimi.pro Legible Studio is another Chicago option that promises a written website audit within 48 hours and focuses on conversion-oriented custom sites. legible.studio

For a project like this, I'd actually avoid initially asking for a “website redesign.” I'd brief them something like:

2-week UX audit + UI refresh sprint: review analytics/behavior where available, heuristic audit, competitive review, identify the 5–10 highest-impact UX/conversion issues, redesign the key pages/components in Figma, and deliver an implementation-ready design system/handoff.

That framing should make it much easier to compare agencies on speed, senior involvement, deliverables, and price rather than getting wildly different full-redesign proposals.

If you tell me roughly what the site sells, B2B vs. B2C, current tech stack (Webflow/WordPress/Next/etc.), and your rough budget, I can narrow this to 3 Chicago agencies I'd actually contact first and give you the questions I'd use in the intro calls.

• ArtVersion® Creative Agency - 211 W Wacker Dr Ste 1130, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• UX 4Sight - 111 W Jackson Blvd Unit 1700, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• Solid Digital - 100 N LaSalle St #1400, Chicago, IL 60602, United States
• Clique Studios - 20 N Wacker Dr Ste 1075, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Sandstorm Design - 4422 N Ravenswood Ave #50, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Alpha Efficiency - Web Design Chicago Agency - 875 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• Brand Vision Marketing - Web Design & Branding - 30 N Michigan Ave #504, Chicago, IL 60602, United States
• Wojo Design - 318 W Adams St #1609, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Grand Studio - 444 N Wells St #501, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Design In Chicago - 159 N Sangamon St Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60607, United States

If the brief is specifically “rapid UX audit + UI refresh of an existing marketing site”, I’d shortlist agencies that can move quickly without turning it into a six-month digital-transformation project.

Chicago shortlist

• ArtVersion® Creative Agency — Strong fit for brand + UI refresh. They combine UX/UI, visual design, branding, and web development, and have experience with corporate/marketing websites. Their public project profile puts typical UX/UI engagements in the $10k–$49k range. Clutch UX Planet

I'd ask them for: a 1–2 week UX teardown followed by a focused homepage/key-template refresh.

• UX 4Sight — Strong fit if the UX audit itself is the priority. They explicitly offer UX audits, usability testing, research, wireframes, responsive web design and UI, with a research-driven process. UX Planet

I'd ask them for: an audit → prioritized recommendations → Figma refresh of the highest-impact pages.

• Solid Digital — Particularly interesting for B2B marketing sites. They specialize in B2B website design/redesign and combine UX/UI with conversion and digital marketing considerations.

I'd ask them for: UX/CRO audit plus redesign of the homepage, navigation, and core conversion paths.

• Clique Studios — Better if you might want to go beyond a visual refresh. Their offering spans strategy, UX/design, content, engineering and marketing, including UX/UI, information architecture, usability testing and accessibility.

Tradeoff: potentially more agency/process than you need for a very small, fast engagement.

• Sandstorm Design — Research-heavy option. They emphasize usability research/testing, information architecture, navigation and messaging alongside visual design.

Tradeoff: I'd consider them if you're seeing genuine usability/conversion problems, rather than primarily wanting the site to look more current.

• Toimi — Worth a look for a genuinely sprint-oriented engagement. They explicitly advertise UX audits and recommendations in 1–2 weeks, followed by rapid screen/logic improvements and UI design. Toimi
• VA Designs — Another potentially good fit for a lean engagement: they specifically offer UX audits, competitor analysis, analytics/heatmap insights, wireframes/prototypes and UI/UX design, with a Chicago base and Webflow specialization. VA Designs

How I'd narrow it

For the brief you gave, I'd probably have ArtVersion, UX 4Sight, and Solid Digital pitch the work, with Toimi as a fourth if speed is the overriding constraint.

The key is to not ask for “a website redesign.” I'd give them something like:

Phase 1 — 5–10 business day UX audit: analytics review, heuristic review, navigation/content assessment, competitive scan, mobile review, and prioritized conversion issues.
Phase 2 — UI refresh: Figma redesign of homepage + 1–2 highest-traffic/highest-value templates, responsive states, lightweight design system.
Phase 3 — optional implementation: only after approving the design direction.

That structure should make it much easier to compare agencies on speed, thinking, and actual design quality, rather than whoever produces the slickest sales deck.

One other interesting option: Legible Studio advertises a written website audit delivered within 48 hours and focuses on custom, conversion-oriented Chicago websites. That could be useful as a very lightweight benchmark before commissioning a larger audit. Legible Studio

If you tell me your company/site, approximate budget (e.g. <$10k, $10–25k, $25–50k), and whether you're B2B/SaaS/consumer, I can narrow this to 3 agencies and explain exactly what I'd ask each one to pitch.

• Praella - eCommerce Agency - 203 N LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• The Office of Experience, LLC - 980 N Michigan Ave Ste 1090, Chicago, IL 60611, 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
• Sandstorm Design - 4422 N Ravenswood Ave #50, Chicago, IL 60640, 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
• TEAMS Design - 1812 W Hubbard St #200, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• MNML - 170 N Sangamon St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• EVE - User Experience Design Agency - 7135 N Merrimac Ave, Chicago, IL 60646, United States
• Elevate Studios: A Digital Design Firm - 5416 N Wayne Ave, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Beyond Design, Inc. - 3759 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• Fuzzy Math - 1440 N Dayton, Ste 307, Chicago, IL 60642
• Solid Digital - 100 N LaSalle St #1400, Chicago, IL 60602, United States
• Design In Chicago - 159 N Sangamon St Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Americaneagle.com, Inc. - 200 W Jackson Blvd Fl 22, Chicago, IL 60606, United States

For a Chicago retail startup, I’d focus less on generic “web design agencies” and more on firms that can do customer research → ecommerce journey/IA → UX/UI → validation, ideally with evidence of consumer/retail work.

Based on current Chicago offerings and recent agency information, I’d put these on your initial shortlist:

My practical shortlist

If I were running the agency-selection process, I'd invite four to pitch rather than sending an RFP to 15 firms:

1. The Office of Experience — particularly interesting if your biggest problem is how customers discover, evaluate and navigate products. Their published capabilities specifically include taxonomy, product findability, journey mapping and ecommerce UX. The Manifest
2. Praella — put them in the mix if you're on Shopify/Shopify Plus and want the same partner to translate UX into an actual ecommerce storefront. Their Chicago operation specifically focuses on ecommerce builds, migrations and optimization. Tentackles
3. UX 4Sight — a good candidate when you want the engagement to start with actual user research and usability testing, rather than jumping directly into a visual redesign. UX4Sight
4. Highland — worth talking to if you're an earlier-stage company and want research, prototyping and product design in a more integrated product-development process. Highland explicitly says it works with startups and ecommerce companies. Highland Solutions Highland Solutions

I'd also consider Grand Studio if this isn't simply a storefront redesign but a broader question around your customer/product experience. Its Chicago practice combines research, product strategy and UX/UI, and third-party research listings identify retail among its client industries. The Manifest

What I'd ask them to pitch

For a retail startup, I wouldn't ask, “Can you redesign our website?” I'd give each agency the same 4–6 week hypothetical:

• Interview 8–12 target customers.
• Analyze analytics/funnel behavior and existing search/navigation.
• Run a competitive ecommerce UX review.
• Identify the biggest friction points in discovery → product evaluation → cart → checkout → post-purchase.
• Produce an evidence-backed prioritized UX roadmap.
• Prototype the highest-impact changes.
• Test those prototypes with customers.
• Deliver a design system/components that your internal team can actually maintain.

Then compare the proposed research methodology, senior people assigned, deliverables, timeline and total cost rather than comparing portfolios alone.

One important distinction: Fuzzy Math is another strong Chicago research/UX consultancy, but its publicly described sweet spot is more complex enterprise/B2B workflows than consumer ecommerce. UX Planet That could matter if you're a small DTC retailer and need speed rather than a large enterprise UX program.

If you tell me (1) your approximate budget, (2) Shopify vs. another platform, (3) DTC vs. omnichannel, and (4) whether you need research only or research + redesign + implementation, I can narrow this to a 3-agency shortlist and give you a side-by-side procurement brief.

• Praella - eCommerce Agency - 203 N LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• UX 4Sight - 111 W Jackson Blvd Unit 1700, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• EVE - User Experience Design Agency - 7135 N Merrimac Ave, Chicago, IL 60646, United States
• The Office of Experience, LLC - 980 N Michigan Ave Ste 1090, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• Elevate Studios: A Digital Design Firm - 5416 N Wayne Ave, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Grand Studio - 444 N Wells St #501, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Sandstorm Design - 4422 N Ravenswood Ave #50, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• ArtVersion® Creative Agency - 211 W Wacker Dr Ste 1130, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Alpha Efficiency - Web Design Chicago Agency - 875 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• Fuzzy Math - 1440 N Dayton, Ste 307, Chicago, IL 60642
• Solid Digital - 100 N LaSalle St #1400, Chicago, IL 60602, United States
• Americaneagle.com, Inc. - 200 W Jackson Blvd Fl 22, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Design In Chicago - 159 N Sangamon St Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• WPrime Agency - 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza #1212, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Wojo Design - 318 W Adams St #1609, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Brand Vision Marketing - Web Design & Branding - 30 N Michigan Ave #504, Chicago, IL 60602, United States

For a Chicago retail startup, I’d focus less on generic “web design agencies” and more on firms that can combine shopper research → ecommerce UX → prototype/testing → measurable conversion improvements.

Based on current Chicago offerings and local presence, I’d put these firms on the shortlist:

My practical shortlist

If you're an early-stage consumer retail startup, I'd start conversations with Praella, UX 4Sight, EVE, and The Office of Experience.

There are meaningful differences between them:

• Praella is particularly interesting if you're on Shopify/Shopify Plus and want the UX work connected directly to ecommerce implementation. Its Chicago office specializes in ecommerce and its offering includes UX/UI design and Shopify builds/redesigns. Ipsos UX
• UX 4Sight is the more obvious choice if the immediate problem is figuring out what shoppers need and why they're struggling, rather than simply making the site prettier. Its services include user research, usability testing, UX audits, wireframing and validation testing. UX Planet
• EVE looks worth talking to if you want a relatively focused UX partner for a startup/smaller company rather than a large implementation organization.
• The Office of Experience is particularly relevant if your retail model has complicated product discovery, categorization, navigation or ecommerce journeys; its published work includes research, journey mapping and UX/UI for ecommerce.
• Elevate Studios is worth considering if you want a broader engagement that goes all the way from ecommerce research and UX through implementation and QA.

I'd put Fuzzy Math and Grand Studio in a somewhat different bucket. Both have strong research/product-design capabilities, but their positioning is more oriented toward complex product and enterprise problems than a straightforward consumer ecommerce redesign. Fuzzy Math, for example, is particularly research-heavy and specializes in complex UX problems. 925Studios Grand Studio has experience spanning research, strategy and product design, including retail clients. The Manifest

One more option specifically for research

If you already have designers/developers and mainly need to understand your shoppers, I'd also talk to Bixa Research. Their retail/ecommerce practice explicitly covers moderated and unmoderated usability testing, journey mapping, shopper ethnography, behavioral research, and checkout/cart-abandonment research. BIXA Customer Research & UX Agency

That's potentially a better startup spend than hiring a full-service agency to redesign everything before you know what needs fixing.

What I'd put in the RFP

For a startup, I wouldn't ask agencies for a generic “website redesign.” I'd give them a tightly defined first phase:

1. 10–15 customer interviews
2. Usability testing of the existing store
3. Analytics/funnel review — search, PDP, cart, checkout, mobile
4. Competitive ecommerce review
5. Information architecture/navigation assessment
6. Prioritized UX opportunity map
7. Wireframes/prototype for the highest-impact flows
8. Second round of usability testing
9. Design system/UI
10. Implementation-ready specifications

That lets you compare agencies on how they think, rather than who has the prettiest portfolio.

One particularly useful signal: ask each agency to show you one ecommerce case where research changed the original design direction and another where they can quantify an outcome such as conversion, revenue per visitor, search success, checkout completion, or retention. That separates genuine research/design capability from agencies that primarily sell visual redesigns.

If you tell me your approximate budget ($25k / $50k / $100k+), Shopify vs. other platform, and whether you need research only or research + redesign + implementation, I can narrow this to a 3-agency Chicago shortlist with a suggested scope and questions for each.

• Rowe Intermedia - Chicago, IL 60641
• Sandstorm Design - 4422 N Ravenswood Ave #50, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Bold Insight (Chicago) - 125 S Wacker Dr Suite 3020, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• UX 4Sight - 111 W Jackson Blvd Unit 1700, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• Clique Studios - 20 N Wacker Dr, Ste 1075, Chicago, IL 60606
• Solid Digital - 100 N LaSalle St #1400, Chicago, IL 60602, United States
• The Chicago Lighthouse - 1850 W Roosevelt Rd, Chicago, IL 60608, United States
• UX Healthcare - 211 E 43rd St 7th Floor, New York, NY 10017, United States
• Dialogue Theory - 1932 S Halsted St #509, Chicago, IL 60608, United States
• Clique Studios - 20 N Wacker Dr Ste 1075, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Institute for Healthcare Delivery Design - 1220 S Wood St 3rd Floor, Chicago, IL 60608, United States
• Clarity Partners, LLC - 20 N Clark St #3600, Chicago, IL 60602, United States
• Alphazeta - 325 W Huron St, Ste 506, Chicago, IL 60654
• CTRL UX - 8465 Keystone Crossing, Indianapolis, IN 46240, United States
• Grand Studio - 444 N Wells St #501, Chicago, IL 60654, United States

For a Chicago healthcare portal, I’d put these firms on the shortlist because the combination you need is more specific than a generic web redesign: manual accessibility testing + healthcare UX + portal/product experience.

• Rowe Intermedia — Particularly relevant if accessibility/compliance is central. Its Chicago practice focuses on healthcare/life-sciences organizations and accessibility work, including ADA/WCAG-related services. The Chicago Lighthouse
• Sandstorm Design — Chicago-based UX/digital experience agency with healthcare experience and accessibility work. Their published Chicago work specifically mentions WCAG 2.2 AA audits and remediation for healthcare portals. Running Start Digital
• Bold Insight (Chicago) — Strong option if the UX side needs substantial user research/usability testing, particularly with healthcare or other high-stakes products. Their Chicago office is at 125 S. Wacker. Bold Insight
• UX 4Sight — Chicago UX/UI and research consultancy offering UX audits, usability testing, user research and design; worth considering if the emphasis is improving the portal experience rather than primarily compliance.
• Clique Studios — Broader digital transformation partner with Chicago presence, covering UX research/design, usability testing, accessibility-focused design, and engineering.
• Solid Digital — Chicago agency with experience in web apps/portals, UX discovery and healthcare/regulated environments; potentially useful if you want the audit findings carried through into redesign and implementation.

One specialist I'd also contact

The Chicago Lighthouse is worth considering alongside an agency. Its Digital Accessible Experience practice specifically provides accessibility consulting, audits, WCAG/508 compliance and accessibility testing, with a long history of working from the perspective of people with disabilities. The Chicago Lighthouse

How I'd structure the RFP

Ask each firm to quote separately for:

1. Full portal accessibility audit — WCAG 2.2 AA, including authenticated patient workflows, not just the public website.
2. Assistive-technology testing — keyboard-only, NVDA/JAWS/VoiceOver, zoom/reflow, forms, errors, modal dialogs, scheduling, messaging, records, etc.
3. Real-user research — particularly patients with disabilities and older users.
4. UX audit — navigation/IA, search, appointment scheduling, registration, content comprehension and mobile experience.
5. Prioritized remediation backlog — WCAG criterion, severity, affected workflow, screenshots/code examples and recommended fix.
6. Design remediation — redesigned flows/components rather than simply handing you an audit report.
7. Retesting after fixes.

I'd specifically ask whether they test the actual authenticated portal and whether they use people with disabilities in research/testing. Automated accessibility scans alone aren't sufficient for this kind of project; manual testing with assistive technology is important. Americaneagle.com

If you want, I can also put together a 5–7 agency Chicago shortlist with contact links, healthcare clients/case studies, accessibility credentials, estimated engagement size, and what to ask each one in the first call.