While Chicago, nicknamed the “Windy City,” is primarily known for its delicious food, unique architecture, and a vibrant music scene, it’s also an important and expanding tech hub (with a growth of about 20% over the past 10 years), hosting thousands of IT companies.

It was already an established hub with a significant number of companies operating in finance, healthcare, logistics, and other industries, all requiring robust IT solutions, as technology is inevitably making its way into all of these industries.

Chicago has a thriving startup ecosystem (ranked 7th in the US according to Global Startup Ecosystem Index 2024) and has a large talent pool, due to multiple universities located in the city (it’s one of the top cities by the number of graduates with a computer science degree).

According to the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, the fiscal impact generated by the city’s tech industry was more than $651M. In 2024, the city’s tech sector brought $39.3 billion to the economic output. 

The same source states that Chicago is the national leader when it comes to diversity and inclusion in tech: 34% of startups were founded by women (2 times more than the global average), and 32% of Black and Latino professionals work in IT.

There are lots of well-known tech companies that have a significant presence or a headquarters in Chicago. Some of them are:

• Motorola
• Grubhub
• Groupon
• Braintree
• ActiveCampaign
• Cameo
• Cars.com

Chicago is set to become one of the top tech locations in the US, due to several reasons:

• Thriving startup ecosystem
• Multinational companies expanding their presence in the city
• State government supports the IT industry
• Venture capital funding

TechBehmoths lists more than 500 IT service providers from Chicago. If you’re looking for a reliable IT company in this city, feel free to browse the company profiles and shortlist them based on your project requirements. 

Use the filter to narrow down your search results and save your searches for later. There is no obligation to hire, and the service is free of charge.

Have you ever noticed how some websites and apps just feel easier to use than others? That's because of the UX/UI design - basically, the people who make sure everything looks good and is easy to navigate.

UX/UI design services are closely connected, but they are not the same. They are actually about different parts of the design and to be effective they must work together.

• UI (user interface) design concentrates on visual elements. It is all about how things look and work on a product, like colors, fonts, and buttons.

• UX (user experience) refers to the overall experience a person has with a product - how easy it is to use the product, how it makes the user feel, and whether it is possible to easily get what is needed from it.

According to research conducted by Forrester, a well-designed user interface (UI) can increase a website's conversion rate by 200%, whereas a better user experience (UX) design could raise it by up to 400%.

In this connection, the importance of UX/UI Design cannot be overstated. Nowadays users have high expectations for the products they use, if a product is not easy to use or enjoyable, users will quickly abandon it. 

UX/UI design can help:

• Enhance user satisfaction

• Reduce bounce rates

• Lead to higher customer retention and revenue

UX Design has also an important role in Inclusive Government Design, which makes government services accessible and user-friendly for diverse and marginalized communities.  

But how do choose the right UX/UI Company? 

1. Review the company's portfolio and make sure they have experience in your industry

2. Look for companies that understand your target audience to meet their needs.

3. Inquire about their design process: research, wireframing, prototyping, and testing.

4. Choose a company that maintains transparent and open communication and keeps you involved throughout the design process.

5. Read client reviews to check their reputation and client satisfaction.

6. A good design company should be up-to-date with the latest design trends and technologies.

Taking into consideration all these tips you will manage to select the right UX/UI Design Company that will help to achieve your goals. 

There are over 13,800 UX/UI Design companies on TechBehemoths platform. Check their profiles, their strong portfolios, and previous clients' reviews before you make a decision. With the help of smart filters, you can easily find suitable partners to deliver exceptional digital experiences. Alternatively, you can submit your project, and the system will find the best match on your behalf.

UI/UX design in the AI era

As AI tools evolve and become more capable of prototyping and designing layouts, the human/emotional aspect will become even more important. AI can't experience and tell and illustrate personal stories, while UI/UX designers can. This human/personal touch will become a valuable part of UI/UX work.

You can interact with the web in multiple ways: using text, voice, images, videos, VR, etc. All these require user interfaces adapted to different needs and scenarios. Professional design agencies should be able to deliver interfaces and UX for multiple interaction modes and devices like smartphones, VR headsets, smart glasses, etc.

The importance of UI/UX for your leads/sales

Lots of websites lose their visitors without a single click. Poor UX design is almost always the reason, and most business owners don't even know where the problem is.

On average, websites convert only 2–3% of visitors. This means the majority of visitors land on a site, browse for a few seconds, and leave without taking any action. Business owners express this as one of their most common frustrations.

How to solve this problem?

The answer is simple: make it easy for visitors to take desired actions on your website, such as viewing a product page or service, completing a purchase, or downloading a resource.

Your website should communicate effectively, guide users, and convince them to take a specific action.

Why your website doesn't convert

There might be multiple reasons, but here are the most common ones + some tips on how to improve your UX to convert visits into leads/conversions. 

1. The first seconds count

How to fix? Start with a clear value proposition that shows the benefits and answers these three questions right away.

2. No call to actions (CTAs)

How to fix? Your service/product and other important pages should have one primary CTA, and it should be: specific, prominent, smooth/short. Example: Get a free quote.

3. Poor mobile UI/UX

How to fix? Focus on mobile-first UX design, which means designing the mobile experience first and then adapting it for the desktop experience.

4. No social proof

How to fix? Place trust signals throughout the conversion path: client testimonials, reviews, awards, certifications, team photos, etc.

5. Complex navigation/structure

How to fix? Simplify your navigation and content structure by limiting menu items, using plain language, making contact options visible and accessible from everywhere, using proper visual hierarchy.

6. Slow loading time

How to fix? Optimize your web pages for speed, especially for mobile devices. Use modern image formats like webp, compress images, use reliable/fast hosting, minify JavaScript/CSS, don't usee too many 3rd party services.

7. Too long forms

How to fix? Use the minimum required number of input fields: name, email, and one open field. Don;t overwhelm users withh too many questions and options.

How to choose the right UX/UI agency?

Choosing a UX/UI agency is a business decision with consequences that show up months after the contract is signed. Most companies evaluate agencies based solely on portfolios and presentations, which are the things easiest to polish and hardest to verify.

What separates a good hire from an expensive mistake is usually visible before you sign anything. You just have to know where to look.

How to do research UX/UI agencies, the right way

Most users go straight to the portfolio, and that's ok, but it's not the whole picture. Here are the criteria that actually matter before you reach out to anyone.

1. Portfolio, look past the aesthetics

Good UX agencies solve different problems differently.

2. Research, visuals are not enough

Any agency can show you Figma files. Ask them to walk you through how they got there. If there's no mention of user interviews, usability testing, or data, the work is decoration, not design. 

3. Industry experience is useful, but not mandatory

For fintech, healthcare, or anything with compliance layers, prior domain experience saves valuable time. Sometimes, an agency coming in fresh can be the better bet, having a different perspective

4. Negative client reviews

A profile with an ideal five stars rating is worth questioning. 

5. Who's exactly working on your project

The number one complaint in the agency world is the bait-and-switch, a senior partner sells the deal, but junior interns do the work. Before moving forward, ask who's actually doing the work. Thirty minutes of reference calls can save you thousands in wasted fees.

6. Not all UX/UI projects are the same

Before you talk to anyone, get specific about what you're buying. UX covers a wide range of work, and the type of agency you need depends on what the actual problem is.

Here is a set of common UX/UI tasks to keep in mind.

How to shortlist the right agencies?

Many clients speak with 15 - 20 agencies and end up more confused than when they started. A practical approach looks like this:

• Start with a larger pool of companies

• Narrow it to around 10 agencies

• Shortlist 3-5 agencies

• Send the same brief to everyone

• Compare proposals and communication styles

• Choose one partner

A poorly scoped engagement can lead to a bad return/outcome. A bad agency hire costs approximately €115,000 when you calculate wasted fees, the cost of a redo, and months of lost market time.