Human-Centric Orchestration Interfaces for Industry 5.0: A Prototype-Based Usability Study of Containerized Microservices Management

The transition towards Industry 5.0 can leverage Kubernetes-driven computing infrastructure to support cyber-physical systems and IoT-based automation of containerized microservices. However, usability challenges of Kubernetes (e.g., fragmented workflows and syntax-sensitive configuration languages) hinder effective human–machine collaboration. To address these challenges, we present a web-based orchestration system prototype that streamlines containerized workloads management through guided workflows, multimodal features, and real-time monitoring. By reducing dependence on command-line expertise and providing a user-friendly interface, the prototyped system enhances the reliability and transparency of interactions between humans and complex computing platforms. We evaluated the prototyped system through a mixed-methods usability study including task analysis, the System Usability Scale (SUS), and interviews. Results demonstrate significant improvements in usability, with SUS score of 77.25 indicating “Good” overall usability. Overall, these findings show that usability-centered orchestration interfaces can strengthen human trust, improve collaboration, and accelerate the adoption of cloud-native platforms as key enablers of Industry 5.0.