Peter de Lange

Peter de Lange

Peter is PhD candidate and research assistant in the Advanced Community Information Systems (ACIS) group at the Chair of Computer Science 5 (Databases & Information Systems) at RWTH Aachen University in Germany. He worked as project researcher in Learning Layers.

The Layers App Store (LAPPS)

Purpose

The Layers App Store (LAPPS) is a centralized repository for apps supporting an informal learning process in working environments by shifting the focus of the app store from the system (e.g. Android, Windows) to the domain, in this case informal workplace learning. It can be used as the central place to store all applications developed in the context of the Learning Layers project.

Description

The LAPPS builds up on state-of-the-art Web technology. It was build with a mobile-first focus and adjusts responsively to different screen sizes, providing a good user experience on all devices. The difference to other popular app stores like the Google Play Store or the iTunes Store is the platform independence. The LAPPS focuses on the informal learning domain rather than on a specific platform. Developers can provide all types of applications in the LAPPS, regardless if they are Windows programs, Android apps or Web applications. By aggregating all applications of this certain domain, the LAPPS provides a central collection of applications developed for the Learning Layers project, making the search for the right application in different platform specific app stores superfluous. It also allows developers to link the same application developed for different platforms together, providing the end user the opportunity to freely choose which platform she wants to use for using the app on.

To allow for social interaction between different end users and also users and developers, the LAPPS features extensive user management functionalities. New users can register themselves to comment on existing applications and rate them. They can also apply for developer rights. These have to be granted by an administrator of the system, so that the user can also upload new applications to the LAPPS.

Support

The LAPPS features extensive documentation for both end-users as well as developers that want to deploy the LAPPS or develop it further. It is released as Open Source Software (OSS) and is publicly available on GitHub.

Research Results & Impact

The main contribution of the LAPPS is that it provides a central place for hosting platform-independent applications developed in the scope of the Learning Layers project. Its interface is easily accessible for all people interested in trying out the technical outcomes of the project. It can also serve as a central repository available after the project’s lifecycle has ended.

Material

Developers and Contributors