In spatial UI, notifications aren't always in view — a message might arrive from behind, or a timer might go off in the next room. Spatial audio plays sound as if it truly originates from that location — panning, a slight time offset between ears, distance-based attenuation — so the user knows roughly which way to look before even turning their head.
The point is conveying direction through sound alone, with no graphic hint. A closer source sounds louder and crisper; a farther one sounds quieter and more reverberant — distance comes through too.
The demo shows a top-down floor plan with ripples continuously spreading from a source at the upper right. The listener icon's right-ear indicator stays lit to express "this sound is coming from the right."
When to use
Pair it with a visual notification when signaling off-screen events. Sound alone often cannot convey direction perfectly, so provide an alternative cue too — a caption, an icon.