The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today released the latest UK internet usage stats. At a stroke, these latest figures have dispelled the myth that Britain's internet use has plateaued. In the last quarter 300,000 people went online for the first time, hinting that there may be some way to go before the UK reaches web saturation point. ONS data also confirms what anyone who uses public transport has long suspected - that more people are using smartphones to access the internet than ever before.

As sales of internet-enabled phones continue to rise, many of us are getting used to carrying the world in our pocket. Soon we will reach a point where smartphones, rather than computers, become the primary device used to connect to the internet.

The impact of this change is already being felt - as companies are increasingly being forced to redesign their websites for use via mobile phones. They are realising that what works well on a desktop or laptop can often be very frustrating on the small screen of a smartphone. The pressure is on to build simpler, smaller websites with fast download times and fewer clicks needed.

It's the web's equivalent of the move seen in the music industry three decades ago. As record labels switched from LPs to CDs, album artwork became simpler and cleaner to cope with the new, smaller format. (And the purists amongst us all moaned that the new format would diminish the impact of the beautiful cover art!)

The rapid growth of smartphone use is leading many of us to view instant, on-the-go internet access as the norm - and forcing businesses to radically rethink and redesign their websites as they try to keep up.

Have you checked how your website looks on a smartphone?