I think people read the Highrise chart in the opposite direction that you suggest. They look for the cheapest first, see if it meets their needs then move "up"

I think people read the Highrise chart in the opposite direction that you suggest. They look for the cheapest first, see if it meets their needs then move "up" (left in this case) until they find the one that is the most affordable that meets their needs. They were probably getting a lot of Basic sign ups, so the emphasis would be getting those people to double their payment level by highlighting the next level up as the best deal. I don't think highlighting the most expensive package to make the others feel cheaper by comparison is very user-friendly either. Users want to quickly find the best package for them and not feel like they're compromising by picking something other than the highest level. Highlighting the highest package sends a signal of inferiority for the rest of the items. By highlighting the middle one, they're saying "hey this is a great package" on its own. If you need more, go higher. If you need less, go lower.