My role
As the sole designer and developer on this project, I partnered directly with SOLJETS' leadership team over 4 months. I handled everything from initial stakeholder interviews and competitor analysis to building custom CMS architectures and training their team on content management. This wasn't just a redesign—it was a complete digital transformation of how SOLJETS connects with high-net-worth aircraft buyers.
Challenges faced
The private jet market is unique: buyers comparing $30M aircraft demand perfection, while sellers need powerful tools to showcase complex technical specifications. I had to balance three competing needs: create an aspirational luxury experience, organize massive amounts of technical data (50+ specs per aircraft), and ensure the platform remained fast and intuitive for non-technical brokers to update daily. With some aircraft photos exceeding 10MB each, optimization became critical.
Process and discovery
My research began with a simple question: why do most aviation sites feel like airplane catalogs instead of luxury experiences? After interviewing 8 aircraft brokers and analyzing 20+ competitor platforms, I discovered the industry was stuck in a features-first mindset. My approach flipped this—leading with lifestyle and aspiration, then progressively revealing technical details. I mapped three distinct buyer journeys and created a flexible information architecture that adapts to each user's expertise level.
Increase in unique visitors in first 3 months.
Longer average visit duration.
Dynamic CMS items across 22 pages.
Client management hours saved with CMS.
Design
The visual design balances sophistication with functionality. I chose a dark theme to let aircraft photography shine while reducing eye strain during long browsing sessions. The gold accents reinforce SOLJETS' premium positioning without overwhelming the content. Every interaction, from smooth hover states to filtered search animations, was crafted to feel responsive and refined. The mobile experience received equal attention, knowing that many initial inquiries happen on phones at airports or events.
Technologies used
The results & business impact after site launch
Within 3 months of launch, SOLJETS saw a 240% increase in qualified leads and a 154% improvement in session duration. The new CMS reduced aircraft listing time from 2 hours to 15 minutes, allowing brokers to focus on sales rather than data entry. Most importantly, the platform now handles 3.4K monthly visitors and 1,000+ listings without any performance degradation.
There's plenty more examples. Take a look at some others.
I'm passionate about building websites that work as hard as you do. Whether you need something built from scratch or want to rescue an existing site, I focus on creating experiences that look great and actually get results.
© 2024 Jacob Trujillo dba JT Designs. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.
*All work showcased on this website was created by myself, Jacob Trujillo, and includes projects completed during my tenure at an agency. The views and opinions expressed on this site are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer, or company.
†Clients mentioned on this site reflect work completed as part of my role at an agency. These projects are included to illustrate my personal contributions and expertise, not to imply direct individual client relationships.